Bun in the Oven
by Candid Ishida
Summary: Kurama and Hiei have surpassed all obstacles and finally get to live happily ever after, until one day a curse befalls Kurama and he is transformed into... a woman? ::Yaoi:: Kurama x Hiei
1. I

::NOTE:: My original character from my first Yu Yu hakusho fic is in this story, so if you want to find out more about her, read The Last Rose of Summer. But don't worry, this story is **_Kurama x Hiei_**, it's not original character x anyone, so if you hate Mary Sues don't start freaking out, she's just a friend. 

**** 

"Why do I feel so strange...?" 

The redhead stumbled out of bed and quietly made his way out of the room. He padded across the carpet and then onto the cold tile of the bathroom, being sure not to make any sound. His partner was a light sleeper, and could become very agitated when woken for no reason. He was suddenly feeling ill, and it worried him, for he was rarely sick and could not think of any reason for this discomfort. 

Turning the faucet on, he splashed water on his face, but left the lights off. He had no use for them in such familiar surroundings. When his hands met his skin, though, something seemed wrong. He moved his fingers over his cheeks, his nose, his lips, and for some reason they felt out of place. He fumbled for the light switch, and stared at the reflection in the mirror. The features were familiar, his red hair and green eyes were just as they should be, but the face was not his own. 

When he looked down at his body, he saw what was the matter. Panicked, he nearly tore the pajama top from his shoulders and stared down at his now bare chest. Stepping back, and looking at the mirror once again to make sure his eyes were not deceiving him, his breath caught momentarily in his throat and his green eyes opened as wide as possible. 

Hiei woke suddenly and leapt out of bed when he heard the scream from the other room. He was at the door to the bathroom almost instantly and saw Kurama heaped on the floor, his face buried in his hands. 

"Kurama!" He knelt down and placed his hand on the fox's shoulder. "What's... wrong..." He was unable to speak another word, as the figure beside him slowly looked up with an expression of horror on his face, his eyes overflowing with tears, and Hiei could see the reason... 

He yanked his hand away and stepped back. Gone was Kurama's broad chest and well toned stomach, and in their place were the subtle curves and narrow frame of a woman. 

**** 

"I'll get back to Koenma as quickly as I can. I wish I had some idea of who could have done this, but whoever it is, they must have gone through a lot of trouble," Botan sighed. She was perched on her oar, hovering between the foot of the bed and the window. Kurama was wrapped up in a blanket with his head leaning on Hiei's shoulder, who sat protectively over him. He was still in shock, and Hiei had been forced to do most of the talking for him, a complete switch from the way things usually were. Kurama was the talkative one when they were with friends. Hiei would sit quietly and listen, and perhaps interject if he thought something was really worth mentioning. 

"Hang tight," Botan said cheerfully, patting Kurama on the shoulder, though he did not look up. "We'll have this curse lifted before you know it!" 

With that, she turned in mid air and flew out the open window of the cabin and off into the night. Hiei held Kurama closer to him once she had gone, he did not enjoy showing his affection in front of other people, and the two kept their intimate life very private for this reason. 

Feeling Kurama shiver slightly, Hiei rose to close the bedroom window, which he used to enter the house far more often than the front door. He had built their dwelling himself, as a wedding present to Kurama. It was a joint effort on the part of himself and Shiori, who had arranged the installation of the electricity and plumbing once the frame had been completed. Though they seemed an odd pair, Hiei had actually grown very close to his lover's human mother over the years they had been together. Perhaps a part of him enjoyed this maternal presence in his life, since he had never known his own mother. 

The fire demon had bashfully proposed on the day Kurama finished high school, and they were married soon after. They had lived in their little cabin in the mountains from then on, and Kurama had since finished college and was now a well respected horticulturist in the area, breeding a huge variety of flowers to be sold at the local nursery. Everyone who purchased his plants and arrangements agreed that they were the most beautiful ever seen, but of course the redhead had hundreds of years of experience on his side from his former life in the Makai. Most of his flowers were cultivated at home, allowing himself and Hiei to stay together as much as possible. 

Now, however, the handsome and normally cheerful young man was sitting curled up on the bed, staring off into nothingness. Hiei sat back down beside him, brushed his hair lightly from his brow, and took his chin into his hand, making their eyes meet. He let his tears overflow, and leaned against the Jaganshi's chest. Kurama felt so much smaller in his arms... 

"I'm sorry for crying like this," Hiei heard Kurama's words in his mind. He had barely spoken out loud since they had called for Botan. His voice had changed along with his body to one that was softer, and naturally more feminine. It seemed foreign to him, and he did not want to hear someone else's voice coming from his mouth. 

"You don't have to apologize," Hiei answered. The powers his Jagan eye had given him allowed the pair to communicate freely through telepathy. The house was very often silent, even during lengthy conversations. "I should be the one to say I'm sorry...." 

"Why?" Kurama said out loud, looking up at him. 

"I let this happen to you, someone violated you and all I did was sleep," he said angrily. 

"Hiei," Kurama closed his eyes and sent his words directly once again. "I also felt nothing. If the curse was covert enough to have slipped so easily by, I'm sure there's nothing either of us could have done." 

"I promised I would protect you..." 

Kurama nuzzled against him. Hiei must be extremely upset with himself to communicate his angst so openly. 

"Let us try not to worry," Kurama soothed. "We should trust that Koenma and his staff will find who is responsible and conduct the counter curse as soon as possible." 

Hiei did not trust Koenma very much at all, but knew he had no choice but to wait for now. He hated an enemy he could not see, but he had searched the room repeatedly for any trace of spirit energy or magic that may have been left behind, and found nothing. 

Kurama stood and set the blanket he had covered himself with back on the bed. He opened the closet door to search for a new shirt to wear, having ripped the pajama top he had been wearing. Even though he was slender to begin with, he found that everything he tried on was at least two sizes too big for him now. 

Hiei watched as he redressed, and then perched back on the edge of the bed. The fox examined the altered shape of his body, running his hands over the two most obvious changes situated on his chest.... 

"How does it feel," Hiei asked. 

"Very strange," he answered out loud without thinking, and sighed at the woman's voice that left his throat. 

Hiei crawled over and kissed him lightly, not knowing what to say. Kurama always knew exactly how to comfort him, and he felt ashamed that he could never find the words to do the same. To his constant amazement, though, his redheaded lover did not seem to mind, and somehow found comfort in whatever failed attempt Hiei made to ease his troubles. 

They both decided it would be best to try and sleep through the rest of the night, hopefully some good news would come by morning. Kurama was able to drift off quite quickly, but Hiei remained awake for many hours, staring at the form beside him. A disturbing thought crossed his mind more than once during that time. Though he refused to believe it, it was always possible that this unwelcome change was permanent.... 

He had never been attracted to anyone but Kurama, and he wondered how he would manage life with this person who, if judged by appearance only, was not the man he had fallen in love with. Though the energy given off and the familiar voice in his head were the same, part of him kept saying this was not Kurama. The way he looked, the way he sounded, even the way he smelled were all different. The rock he had come to rely on had suddenly shifted position, leaving him feeling afraid and vulnerable. 

**** 

Days later, they had received a few short messages from Botan, who was relaying them from Koenma, but all had said the same thing. Each message told them to stand by, so apparently there was no good news to give as of yet. 

Hiei sat on a large rock at the edge of Kurama's front garden one morning, polishing his katana and looking intimidating as usual. He was growing impatient, he had hoped that this ordeal would be over with quickly, but things did not seem to be turning out that way. Kurama was adjusting quite well though, cooking and tending to his plants as usual. He had not told Shiori yet, however. Though he had revealed his true self to her when he and Hiei had been married, she was getting older now, and since she had always suffered from a weak heart, he worried the shock of seeing her only son transformed into a woman would be too much to bear. He would keep it a secret from her if he could, but suspected she would find out sooner or later. 

"Hey, Hiei!" 

The Jaganshi looked up to see two young men racing up the garden path towards him. He rolled his eyes and placed his katana back in its sheath, they were the surely the last people he wanted to see when in such a bad mood. 

"Is it really true what Botan said?" Yusuke said when they had reached the top of the hill, Kuwabara was panting behind him. 

"What exactly did that girl say, anyway..." He hissed, Botan certainly had a big mouth. 

"Kurama's really been changed into a chick!?" Kuwabara shouted tactlessly when he had caught he breath. "That's crazy!" 

"Why don't you ask him yourself," Hiei said, glaring up at them. He sneered distastefully and leapt into an overhanging branch, disappearing from sight. Though he had opened up considerably over the years, he could still be quite cold. 

"Can't he just invite us in like normal people?" 

"Give him a break, Kuwabara," Yusuke said as they made their way through the garden to the front porch of the house. "He's gotta be really pissed right now." 

"Isn't he always?" 

They didn't bother knocking, having been there hundreds of times before, but did remember to kick their shoes off at the door. They heard soft humming from the room that took up the entire lower left side of the house, where Kurama kept all of his indoor plants and breeding projects. Peeking through the door, they saw where the song was originating. Knelt on the floor in the midst of all the potted plants was a lovely woman with long red hair tied up in a ponytail. 

"Kurama...?" Yusuke said. 

The humming stopped, and she stood, turning slowly to face them. They were met with two green eyes they had been so many times that were unmistakably their friend's. 

"Woah, it really is true..." Kuwabara said, shocked. Though his face was basically the same, his body had changed dramatically. Yusuke noted that they were now the same height, and Kurama had always been several inches taller. He was slimmer than before, the feminine curve of his hips made his pants hang strangely on his body. A yellow sweater tried to hide his chest, but this curse had endowed him well, and a large bosom could still be seen despite the thick material. On top of it all, he was smiling... but his eyes were sad. 

"Wow, um... You look hot," Yusuke joked, trying to say something uplifting, but then realizing he had just ended up sounding awkward. 

"Botan told you, I assume," he said. Yusuke and Kuwabara for some reason had not expected a change in his voice, and were surprised to hear a woman speaking to them. 

"Uh, yeah..." 

Kurama removed the gardening gloves he had been wearing and started putting tools away. 

"Do you have any idea who could have done this to you?" Yusuke asked. Kuwabara was stepping nervously from heel to heel, having no idea what to say in such an odd situation. 

"I'm sure I've made many enemies in my life," the redhead sighed. "But I can't think of anyone with the knowledge or ability to do something like this." 

He had finished putting his tools away and stepped past them to the door which lead to the entryway. 

"Would you like something for lunch?" He asked, always a gracious host, or hostess in this case... 

"Uh, yeah I would!" Kuwabara said. 

"Hiei went jumping off into the woods," Yusuke said as the three of them walked into the kitchen. 

"I know." 

Naturally, the pair always seemed to know what the other was doing. Yusuke sometimes wondered if the long hours they sometimes sat silently beside each other were spent talking about other people in the room. Yusuke thought that being able to feel your partner's thoughts must certainly make a relationship easier, and wished he could read Keiko's mind, girls could be so difficult. 

Girls... but if Kurama had a woman's body, did that mean his personality had changed to match? The black haired man certainly hoped not, dealing with women was not his specialty. Luckily for him though, Keiko had endless patience, well, almost endless. He still received a slap in the face from time to time. 

He imagined that Hiei would know even less about women than he did, though. He had grown up with his mother, so he at least knew something of their habits, but what experience did Hiei have with girls? He even shied away from his own sister. Yusuke hoped desperately for Hiei's sake that Kurama's attitude was the same as always, and the effect of this curse was only superficial. 

"Kurama, you're still the same on the inside, right?" Kuwabara asked. Yusuke blinked, they had apparently been thinking the same thing. 

"I'm happy to say that only my body has changed." He turned from the tea he was pouring and smiled at them. "Everything else is the same as always." 

"Well that's good to hear," Yusuke said. "But, how's Hiei dealing with all this..." 

Kurama placed the tea tray on the table and sighed as his guests sat down. 

"As well as can be expected, I suppose..." He picked a sandwich up from the tray and looked it over, sighing. "He seems afraid to touch me now, as if I might break." 

"Heh, Then I guess you two haven't..." Kurama looked up and Yusuke with a piercing glare telling him to silence himself. "Uh... Yeah, never mind." The spirit detective shoved an entire half a sandwich in his mouth quickly. 

"No, we haven't." Kurama said truthfully, setting his food back on the table, suddenly not wanting to eat. "And for Hiei's sake I don't wish to discuss it any further, for I have no doubt he's listening somewhere." 

"That's creepy..." Kuwabara said, glancing around and wondering if the fire demon was perched in the rafters somewhere, ready to strike. 

"It's quite lonely, though," Kurama said, gazing out the window. There was another garden in the back of the house, larger than the one in front. Beyond the flower beds and shrubbery was dense forest, a perfect place for Hiei to go and brood when the need arose. The mountain their home was situated on had been selected because of its isolation and beauty, and the nearest house was at least a kilometer away. 

"I dunno, I always imagined living with Hiei would be kind of lonely anyway," Yusuke said, resting his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand. 

Kurama shook his head lightly and smiled. 

"Not at all," he replied. "He can actually be quite sweet when he wants to be," Kurama then felt a sudden icy chill shoot through him. "Along with being the fiercest swordsman in all three worlds!" He laughed, knowing his queue to stop talking about Hiei's sensitive side had come. 

They continued to talk through lunch, and Kurama felt better being able to converse with his friends. Yusuke and Kuwabara had all but forgotten the redhead's transformed body, and were now assured that he was the same person as he had always been. 

When the time came to leave, Yusuke placed his hand on Kurama's shoulder and grinned. 

"When we find out who did this to you, I promise to give them a major ass kicking on your behalf," he assured. 

"Leave some for me, Urameshi," Kuwabara added. 

"Thank you," Kurama smiled, knowing it was their way of saying they were concerned. He certainly hoped that the perpetrator would be found sooner rather than later. He did not wish to stay in this strange body any longer than he had to. 

That evening, Hiei had still not shown himself, and feeling slightly depressed, Kurama opted to skip supper and go straight to bed. When he climbed the stairs and walked into the darkened room, he found the fire demon sitting in the middle of the mattress staring sadly into his lap. 

"How long have you been here?" He asked. 

"A while..." Hiei said softly. 

Kurama sat down beside him, leaning close and running his hands down the Jaganshi's back. He had his legs crossed and his arms folded across his chest, every muscle in his body was tensed up as tight as could be. 

"What's wrong?" Kurama said. 

Hiei looked up into Kurama's face, his red eyes glowed brightly in the dark and the sight of them always brought the fox peace during a restless night. 

"I've been neglectful over the past few days. Forgive me." 

Kurama ran his fingers over the white star burst in Hiei's hair. 

"There's no need to ask forgiveness. Did you think I was upset with you?" 

"I heard you talking to those two idiots today," he sighed. "About how you're lonely." 

"I guessed you must be listening," Kurama mused. 

"I didn't mean to make you feel that way." Hiei had been thinking over how he wanted to phrase these words all day, but they still didn't seem to be coming out the way he had planned. "It just feels like there's a stranger in my bed, when I try to hold you..." 

Though the lights were off and he could not see, the slight heat he felt from Hiei's cheeks told Kurama he was blushing. The fox always thought it was completely adorable the way Hiei became so embarrassed when he showed his true emotions. He could not help but lean forward and kiss him. To his surprise, though, as soon as his lips touched the little Jaganshi's, he was flipped back onto the bed and Hiei was straddling him. 

"Well, you're being very affectionate," Kurama said, quite amused, when they had broken their kiss. He smiled up as Hiei stared down intensely into his green eyes. 

"You shouldn't feel lonely in your own home," he said firmly. 

Kurama ran his fingers over Hiei's lips, continuing to smile up at him. He felt completely safe and content, he always did when they were together, but Hiei was looking down at him so fiercely.... 

"You needn't be so serious," Hiei heard inside his head. 

"How is it you can be so carefree, even after what's happened to you?" 

"It's not that I'm carefree, I just try not to let unfortunate circumstances ruin my mood. Perhaps you should try that once in a while?" 

Kurama grinned sweetly while he petted Hiei's hair and held the other close to his body. The fire demon licked his fangs and surrendered to the fox's wishes, for him to relax. He broke his piercing stare and let down the thick walls he kept built up around himself to hide his feelings and keep intruders on the outside. Kurama was the only one besides his twin sister who could break down that wall and see the wild sea of emotions within. He knew exactly what to say and could render the black haired demon completely helpless with a simple glance or touch. 

Hiei bit Kurama's neck lightly and slid his hands up the redhead's shirt, but paused when his palms came to rest on the unfamiliar changes in his partner's chest. 

"Don't be shy..." Kurama laughed. 

Hiei carefully lifted up the sweater Kurama was wearing and examined his bare skin. 

"They look unnatural..." He said, running his rough fingertips over Kurama's nipples and giving him chills. Knowing very well his lover had never been with a woman, as he had never been with anyone but himself, Kurama wondered what Hiei would do during this new experience. Their clothes were soon removed, Hiei explored... and much to Kurama's surprise and enjoyment, he handled himself quite well. 

**** 

Hiei leapt through the trees of the shadowy forest, it was already night. He had been out all day, but somehow sensed Kurama was crying, and began to race back home as quickly as possible. 

Nearly a month had gone by since Kurama had been cursed, and the messages from Koenma were always the same. The person who had committed this crime had obviously gone to great lengths to hide themselves, because no clues could be found. The pair were assured by Botan over and over that the investigation was being worked on non stop, and that she would be at their window the second she received any news. 

Since Kurama had been taking the change of life in stride, Hiei was shocked to feel a sudden sadness and worry fill him, and the feeling intensified the closer he got to the house. Had something else happened? He could tell Kurama was not injured, so what had happened to cause him so much sudden grief? 

He lit on the windowsill and stepped inside to the upstairs landing outside their bedroom. Kurama was seated in a rocking chair, alone in the dark, he had turned off all the lights in the house. 

Hiei dropped his katana hastily on the floor and knelt down by the redhead's side, grabbing hold of his hands. 

"What happened?" He demanded. 

"I went to see mother today..." He said softly. His eyes had been hidden under his bushy hair, but when he looked up, Hiei could see they were tear stained. What if Shiori had rejected him for some reason? But that couldn't be so, he knew for a fact that the woman his partner called mother would care for him under any circumstances. 

"I had planned on keeping this a secret from her, but I needed advice," he sighed. 

"Couldn't you have asked someone else?" Hiei said, not understanding the concept of motherly advice. 

"I suppose I could have," Kurama said, "but she is the only person I'm close to who has ever been pregnant before." 

"Why is that important..." Hiei said, but then his eyes popped open when the realization of what Kurama had just said hit him. The redhead smiled sadly when Hiei let go of his hands. 

"Are you sure..." Hiei whispered, looking off into a corner. 

"She had me in her car and on the way to the doctor's office before I knew what to do, and yes, I'm quite sure," he said. 

"I'm sorry." 

Kurama raised his eyebrow and nearly laughed. He slid out of the rocking chair and wrapped his arms tightly around Hiei's shoulders. 

"You're acting as though I've been diagnosed with some sort of fatal disease." 

"You can't hide your feelings from me, Kurama," he said. They were sitting on the floor facing each other now. 

"I know that very well," Kurama answered. "You can already tell that I'm worried and I'm frightened, but..." 

"But?" 

"Even though the circumstances are strange, I also feel very fortunate." 

Hiei blinked. What on earth did he think he was saying, through some strange twist of fate he had accidentally become pregnant, and was now acting as though that had been the plan all along. 

"I never imagined that we'd be lucky enough to have a child together," he said, instinctively placing his hand on his stomach. 

"Who ever said I wanted a child, Kurama!?" Hiei roared, standing up suddenly, startling the fox with his outburst. "Do you think this is some kind of blessing!? This is a disaster!" He screamed. He turned on the spot and stormed off into room opposite their bedroom where his few personal belongings were kept. He slammed the door roughly and Kurama could hear him begin to break things, and the faint sound of sobs behind all the clatter. 

Kurama sighed deeply. The grief he had been feeling all evening was not so much because of the discovery of his pregnancy, but anxiety over how he would break the news to his foul tempered demon. He stood and walked into the bathroom to draw himself a hot bath. He would allow Hiei to stay alone for a while and think things over, then confront him again later. Kurama had known that the Jaganshi would not accept the situation easily, but also prayed that it would not drive a wedge between them. 

While Kurama waited in the bath, Hiei sat on the floor in the dark of his room. He had made quite a mess, clothes were strewn everywhere and shelves were broken. He had grabbed anything he could get his hands on after he had thrown the door shut and started flinging items against the walls. The room was usually a mess, it was the only place in the house Kurama did not clean, but now looked as though a hurricane had hit. 

Hiei held his head in his hands and stared at the floor. This couldn't possibly be happening, Kurama was with child and acting as if it was a miracle. He also knew in his gut that even if he protested, the fox would keep the child no matter what. The idea of parenthood was unfathomable. He'd grown up alone, his mother had been forced to give him up. For some reason, though, he felt a tiny twinge of pain in his heart whenever he thought of her, or touched the tear gem that hung around his neck that she had cried for him. Could that be love he felt, love for someone he'd never even known? He wondered if that same spark would start to form for the baby growing inside Kurama's body. 

Positive sentiments had started to form, but he was still so confused. It was his fault that this had happened, wasn't it? But somehow Kurama wasn't angry at all, he actually seemed happy. How could he be happy.... 

He stood and dusted himself off, exiting the room and walking silently across the landing to the bathroom. The door was closed but not locked, and he entered without a sound to find Kurama lying in the tub. His eyes were closed, and his long hair was up in a bun to keep out of the water. He said nothing, but Hiei knew he had already been detected. He kneeled down by the edge of the bathtub and waited for Kurama to acknowledge him. 

"Done destroying things already?" The redhead asked. 

Hiei narrowed his eyes but decided to let the remark slide. Leaning on the edge of the tub, he sighed, and Kurama then opened his eyes to see the demon pouting shamefully. 

"It's all right," he said, reaching his hand up out of the water and touching the side of Hiei's face gently. 

"You're not upset at all, are you?" Hiei said, furrowing his brow. 

"I wouldn't say upset," Kurama said, wrapping his arms around his stomach under the water. "Nervous, yes." He leaned his head back against the wall behind the tub and Hiei unconsciously began playing with a strand of his red hair. 

"As a Youko, I was with my share of women, but the idea of fathering a child never crossed my mind until recently," he laughed softly, "or in this case, mothering." 

"I guess there's no changing your mind, then," Hiei said. 

"Would you really want me to?" 

Hiei looked away and thought that question over carefully. Even though this occurrence was somewhat unwelcome, he did not truly want to destroy the life that they had created together. No, he would not reject his child the way his own mother had been forced to reject him. He'd protect it the same way he protected Kurama, though the fox did not normally need to be looked after, Hiei had made it his responsibility to keep him safe no matter what happened. He would need guarding now more than ever in this vulnerable condition. 

"No," Hiei replied. He reached down into the water and rested his hand on Kurama's lower stomach. 

"I suppose this does mean I'm going to have to stay in this form quite a bit longer than I had planned on, though," Kurama said, sighing down at his bosom that rose up above the surface of the water. 

"How long does human pregnancy last?" Hiei asked. 

"Nine months," the redhead answered, letting out an even deeper sigh. He would be spending nearly a whole year as a woman. He hoped that both himself and Hiei would be able to handle this ordeal well, nine months could be a very long time... 

**** 

The door to the bathroom flew open and Kurama was immediately on the floor, spewing his insides out into the toilet. Every morning for the past week, he had been in the bathroom vomiting the moment he woke up. Hiei followed quickly behind, bending down to hold Kurama's hair out of his face while his body heaved violently for another round. When he was sure he had finished, the Jaganshi handed his partner a towel to wipe his lips clean. He was shaking slightly and feeling weak. 

"Hundreds of years mixing plants into potions and I never thought to make one for morning sickness..." Kurama sighed, getting up to wash his mouth out in the sink. He was now entering his third month of pregnancy, nausea and tiredness had effected him the entire time, even though no outward signs of the life growing inside him were apparent yet. His mother had informed him that he would not begin to gain considerable amounts of wait for another few weeks. 

He had been visiting Shiori very frequently, though she urged him to stay home and rest. It was extremely strange for her to be giving advice on pregnancy to her son, and she felt slightly nervous around him, seeing the boy she had raised with such a different body. 

Later that day, Kurama was resting at the kitchen table while Hiei prepared lunch, with some difficulty. Kurama had been patiently teaching him how to cook since they had been married, but the redhead's recent sickness had given him the initiative to try harder and was actually preparing meals that were edible now. 

While he was swearing at the pot of rice that had boiled over, there was a knock on the front door of the cabin. Kurama rose from the table and exited the kitchen, as Hiei was much too busy getting angry at the mess on the stovetop. Since they rarely had visitors, and no one had called announcing they would be there, he wondered who could have come calling. 

When he opened the door, he was met with a young woman leaping at him and throwing her arms around his neck nearly squeezing the life out of him. 

"Kurama! I can't believe this is really happening, I missed you so much, I'm so happy to see you!" 

"Kyo, calm down," he said, pushing her gently away and smiling. The girl he had become friends with in high school stood before him, still wearing her hair in the same long, brown braids she had always had. A year younger than Kurama, she had been away at college for four long years and just returned home that week. They had written to each other, of course, and when Kyo had received the news of Kurama's transformation and pregnancy, he did all that he could to convince her to stay in school for final exams instead of catching the first train home to see him. 

Apparently though, she had not come alone on this visit. Behind her the redhead was surprised to see his own mother and a large bundle of balloons blocking several other people from view. 

"Surprise!" He heard Botan say, pushing the balloons from her face to reveal Keiko, Shizuru, Atsuko, and a grouchy looking Yusuke and Kuwabara in the back. 

"Move out of the way, silly, don't just stand there!" Botan shouted, and before Kurama could say anything the group of women were pushing their way inside the house and setting up decorations and piling wrapped presents on the coffee table. 

"What's going on?" He asked. Shiori stepped up and hugged her son tightly, smiling as broadly as possible. 

"Kyo came to visit me last night as soon as she got home, and insisted we throw you a baby shower," she told him. 

"Yeah, and the two of us got dragged along," Yusuke said indignantly, stomping into the kitchen. 

"I can't believe Shizuru dragged me to something as girly as a baby shower!" Kuwabara whined, following after Yusuke. 

"What are THEY doing here!?" Hiei roared from the entrance to the kitchen after Yusuke and Kuwabara had begun raiding the refrigerator, but then blinked with surprise to see half a dozen women taking over his living room. 

"Kurama, I'm so happy for you!" Keiko said, taking his hands in hers and clearly ignoring Hiei's protests for all of them to get out. 

"I never had a baby shower of my own when Yusuke was born so when Keiko told me about it I had to come," Atsuko said cheerfully from behind her. Yusuke's mother had long given up her chain smoking and wild nights of drinking and was now even more of a second mother to Keiko than she had been when they were younger. 

"Kurama was always one of the girls anyway, you know?" Shizuru joked while she stood on the back of the couch to hang up streamers. 

"By the way, Yukina isn't really supposed to leave the Makai but she promised she would be here later," Botan announced. 

"Kurama, this is going to be so much fun!" Kyo squealed, practically overflowing with excitement and pinning balloons up over the fireplace. 

"What the hell are they doing?" Hiei said, grabbing Kurama's arm. 

"Apparently throwing me a baby shower..." he replied. 

"And what exactly is a baby shower?" He demanded, looking in horror at the blue and pink decorations being strewn all over the house by the six women. Before he could receive an answer though, he was being smothered by Kyo and lifted up off the ground in a huge hug. 

"Hiei! I missed you a lot too, It's great to see you again, aren't you excited about Kurama!?" she cried, squeezing him violently and lifting his feet nearly a half meter off the ground. Kurama could have interjected and rescued Hiei from Kyo's overly affectionate hug, but simply laughed and went into the kitchen to finish preparing the lunch the fire demon had abandoned. 

Later that day, the sun was setting, and the entire group was gathered in the living room around the fireplace. Hiei had ordered Yusuke and Kuwabara to bring some extra chairs from upstairs so there would be enough room, and they had obliged, with much complaining... 

The girls had all insisted Kurama sit and rest while they prepared a huge supper for the party to feast upon. There was much giggling from the women while Kurama opened his presents and Hiei shrunk down into the sofa as far as possible, trying to pretend he wasn't there. 

"Well girls, that was a damn good supper," Shizuru said, patting her full stomach. 

"Do you want any more dessert, Kurama?" Kyo asked, shoving a plate of pie in his face. 

"I don't think I could eat another bite..." He said, staring down at the pastry. They had been forcing food on him all afternoon, insisting he needed his energy and was eating for two. 

"All these presents are so cute!" Keiko said, gushing over a pair of tiny baby booties. 

"Even Lord Koenma sent a gift," Botan laughed, holding up a box of pacifiers. 

Just then there was a knock on the front door and Hiei's heart leapt, sensing a familiar energy signal nearby. 

"I'll get it," Kurama said, being as it was his home and he was accustomed to answering the door, but he was held down into his seat by several pairs on hands and women telling him he shouldn't be straining himself while in such a delicate condition. 

To everyone's surprise, though, Hiei was the one who stood to get the door while they were busy protesting Kurama leaving his chair. Normally he would not bother with such trivial tasks, but he knew who he would find on the other side and always looked forward to seeing her. He opened the door slowly to reveal the face he had been expecting, that of his own twin sister, Yukina. 

"Hiei!" She said happily, hugging him lightly. Along with many other confessions, Hiei had finally told his sister of their relationship after his wedding to Kurama. She had been overjoyed to know that the brother she had been searching for was looking after her the entire time. They had become very close, and she was the only person he could be truly open with besides Kurama. 

"I'm glad to see you," he said softly, hoping the other guests, mostly Yusuke and Kuwabara, would not hear him and make a big deal over him being outwardly glad about anything. 

She smiled sweetly, and the corners of his mouth instinctively turned up to form the tiniest trace of a grin. He stepped out of the way to allow her inside and she immediately rushed over to Kurama and wrapped her arms gently around him. 

"I'm sorry I couldn't visit sooner," she said. 

"It's perfectly all right," Kurama answered, returning the embrace and holding her to him for a moment. 

"YUKINA!" 

The ice maiden looked away from Kurama to see that Kuwabara had left his seat and was standing before her, blushing like mad with an incredibly huge grin on his face. 

"Kazuma, it's so good to see you again," she said. 

Kuwabara laughed and scratched the back of his head, his heart still melted every time he saw the lovely blue haired girl. His undying love had not faltered, and though Yukina did care for him, the fact that they lived in two different worlds kept them from carrying on a steady relationship. Hiei suddenly slammed the front door, startling everyone, and shot Kuwabara an icy stare as he walked back to the others. Kuwabara was about to back down out of fear of being slaughtered, when Yukina took hold of his hands, setting his whole face aflame with a deep blush. 

"I'd like to talk to Kurama for a moment, Kazuma," she said. He nodded enthusiastically in agreement with whatever she desired. 

"Of course, Yukina, whatever you want! I'll go get you something to eat!" He said, running off into the kitchen to prepare her a dish of supper. 

Once Kuwabara was out of sight, Hiei sat back down and watched as Yukina perched on the arm of Kurama's chair and held out her hand. 

"May I?" She asked, halting above his stomach. 

"Of course," he nodded, giving her permission, and she placed her palm on his abdomen. She had been perfecting her healing powers over the years and had become quite skilled, and was trying to sense the energy given off by the tiny baby growing inside Kurama. 

"It's a girl," she said, beaming, "I'm almost sure of it." 

"I've been thinking the same thing," he agreed, laying down his hand on top of hers. 

Hiei blinked, having been paying careful attention to everything they had said while the other guests chatted amongst themselves. He had been wondering if his Koorime blood would make the child more likely to be female, and supposed he must have been right. He trusted his lover's and sister's senses on what gender the baby would be, but wondered if he would have more difficulty relating to a daughter rather than a son. 

When night had fallen Kurama and Hiei bid the partiers farewell, Yukina promising she would visit again soon and assuring them she would be there to assist when it was time for the baby to be born. Kurama agreed fully, trusting Yukina's skills and also knowing that she was the only other person Hiei would allow to be present during the birth. 

The sky was overcast when the last person in attendance, Shiori, had left, and once everyone was gone, the pair decided to turn in early. Kurama was feeling worn out from all the excitement, and was hoping a long night's sleep would ease his sickness the next morning. 

After an hour had passed, Kurama still lied awake in bed. The nausea from that morning had not entirely faded throughout the day, and seemed to be suddenly bothering him more now that he was trying to fall asleep. He rolled onto his side, sure that Hiei was also still awake, and placed his hand on the Jaganshi's shoulder. He turned to face Kurama, and could tell without him having to say anything that he was feeling ill again. 

"Sit up," he instructed, and Kurama did so. He slid up behind the fox's back and started rubbing his shoulders. They had done this for the past several nights, since Kurama's morning sickness had been getting worse instead of better. The massages helped to ease his tension and take the urge to throw up away. 

Hiei's grip was always so strong, but he managed to never squeeze hard enough to cause any pain. The palms of his hands were rough from wielding his katana, and felt like a fine grained sandpaper. They were also very warm, which Kurama assumed was natural for one who was half fire demon. During chilly nights, all he had to do was lean against Hiei's body and the heat he gave off would warm him right through. 

"I could tell you were very happy to see Yukina tonight," Kurama said. 

"I was," he affirmed. "Don't talk," he added, moving his hands away from Kurama's shoulders and down to his lower back. 

"Have you taken to using only two word sentences tonight?" Kurama laughed softly. 

"I said, don't talk." 

Kurama smiled and did as he was told, his lover had always preferred touching to conversation, after all. He knew Hiei simply did not want to ruin the intimacy of the moment with pointless babble. Kurama felt the demon's hands leave his back, and returned to his body when they settled on his abdomen. The redhead leaned back against Hiei's small frame and sighed contentedly. 

"You're sure the child is female, then..." Hiei said quietly. 

"I thought we weren't talking," Kurama chuckled, tipping his head to see Hiei's face and receiving an unamused glare from his glowing eyes. He continued to smile, and held Hiei's hands in his own. 

"I'm fairly sure the baby will be a girl," he said. "Why, were you hoping for the opposite?" 

"I... don't know." Though he had accepted it, the idea of having a child of his own still made him uneasy. Even living in the Ningenkai in this house sometimes drove him mad, and he spent a good deal of time in treetops trying to imagine he was somewhere else, that is until he felt Kurama's spirit pulling him back home. 

Kurama would most likely want to raise their daughter the way his own mother had raised him, completely human. She would go to school, grow up, find a boyfriend, just like all other human girls did. Would they even be able to explain to her how she had been born? He wondered if she would learn how to control her spirit energy, or if she would even be interested in her demon heritage. What if she rejected her past, or was even afraid of it... Worst of all, what if she hated him? He knew he was not the easiest person to get along with, and normally did not care, but his own child would be a different matter entirely. 

He held his arms around Kurama for security, pulling him close against his torso. He was about to speak, when he realized the fox had fallen asleep while leaning on him. He smiled, closing his crimson eyes and nestling his face in Kurama's soft hair, it always smelled wonderful to him. Woman's body or not, he truly loved the man he was holding so closely, even though he did not show it as much as he wished he could. He was opening up though, with help from his sister. She had once told him that it was the little things that really mattered to people, tender moments that could never be repeated or replaced. He kissed Kurama's forehead gently, and wondered if this was one of those moments. 

As the night went on, it started to rain. Hiei had laid Kurama down on his pillow and was watching him sleep, not feeling very tired himself. He rarely slept the entire night through, in fact. The thunder roaring outside did not bother him, but the louder it got, the more Kurama seemed to toss and turn. After a considerably large crash, his green eyes shot open and he sprung up. 

"I have to get outside," he said, flinging the blankets away and rushing out of the room. 

"Kurama, where are you going?" Hiei called after him. He pushed the covers Kurama had turned onto him to the floor and walked out of the bedroom. Jumping over the railing of the landing, he landed gracefully on the ground floor to find Kurama at the door, in his coat, pulling on his shoes. 

"Why are you running outside in the rain?" 

"My roses, if I leave them in this storm they'll be ruined in the morning," he answered, standing and pulling the hood up on his coat. 

"You can't go outside for that," Hiei commanded, grabbing hold of his arm. Kurama turned and narrowed his eyes at the little demon. He had thought that of anyone, Hiei would be the last person telling him he was too helpless to do anything, just because of his current condition. He had lived longer than any of them and taken care of him self very well the entire time, what right did they have telling him how to handle himself. Though he would never voice his dissatisfaction, all his female friends taking over and urging him not to move or strain himself that afternoon had been very aggravating. Now, for the first time, Hiei had seemed to have picked up on the 'take it easy' mentality that everyone else had been displaying. 

"I'll be fine," he said, pulling his arm away and opening the door. A huge gust of wind and rain blew into the house, almost knocking him off balance. 

"Kurama, you're sick, if you go outside in this weather you'll regret it in the morning," Hiei said, folding his arms. 

"So be it," Kurama responded flatly, turning and hurrying out the door and down the hill to his flower bed. 

The wind was howling loudly, and the booms of thunder and bolts of lightning were only seconds apart. Leaves and other debris blew by him as he surveyed the condition of his rose garden, and could see even in the pitch blackness that his most precious flowers were being torn apart. He went back to pull a tarp from underneath and porch and descended the hill again. He kneeled down into the mud, water soaking through the pants of his pajamas and his long coat doing little to keep him dry. 

The wind had already blown his hood away and his hair was flying wildly in every direction. As he was struggling against the elements to secure the tarp to the ground and cover his garden, he saw a sudden flash of red, and then two small hands on the ground beside him. 

Hiei had thrown his tunic on and was kneeling at the edge of the garden, blocking him from the harsh wind and holding the other side of the tarp down for him. Kurama smiled and proceeded to hammer stakes securely into the ground. 

The storm had intensified by the time his roses were safe from harm, and the pair rushed back to the front door of the cabin to get out of the rain. Both were soaked to the bone and covered in mud when they finally managed to get back inside the house. Kurama's hair was also not in the most splendid condition. 

Hiei peeled his wet tunic off, revealing his bare chest underneath, and dropped it on the floor while Kurama took off his shoes and coat. 

"Since when do you care about my flowers?" he asked, trying to flatten his hair down, knowing what a disaster it must be. 

"I don't," Hiei said bluntly, "but I care about you." 

Kurama grinned, it was rare for his demonic partner to utter such sweet words. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Hiei, hugging him affectionately. 

"The pouring rain seems to have somehow cured my nausea," he said, feeling Hiei clutch at his pajama top and press against him. "So would you like to go take a hot bath after that little adventure?" He asked. Hiei tipped his head up and looked at him. 

"Yes," he said, not entirely enjoying being drenched head to toe and covered in earthy filth from Kurama's flower bed. 

Upstairs, in the bathroom, Kurama kneeled down to fill the tub and was adding some kind of herbal soap that smelled very refreshing, although Hiei had no idea what it contained. While the fire demon unwrapped the bandages from his arm that covered his black dragon tattoo, Kurama stood and began undressing. He turned away, though the fox had been like this for months, the voluptuous female form still made Hiei uncomfortable. 

"Aren't you getting in?" 

Hiei blinked and looked up, Kurama was already standing in the tub waiting for him, he must have been staring at the floor longer than he thought. Kurama eased down into the hot water and sighed deeply, it felt good after being outside in the frigid rain. Hiei dropped the rest of his clothes on the floor and climbed into the tub, kneeling down between Kurama's long legs. He lifted one slender foot up from the water and rubbed it against Hiei's ribs, making him flinch and push Kurama's leg away. 

"Don't start," he warned. Above all things, Hiei despised being tickled. Actually, it was not that he hated the feeling itself, but only Kurama knew how completely helpless it could render him and often used it to his advantage, sending the stoic demon into a fit of giggles. 

"Something the matter?" Kurama said slyly, pressing both feet against Hiei's ribcage and pinning him against the opposite side of the tub. 

"Kurama, stop," he hissed, knowing he was trapped. Though Kurama had changed genders, he had not lost any of his strength, and Hiei had no way to escape outside of ripping Kurama's legs off or breaking a hole in the wall. The fox leaned forward, grinning deviously, making Hiei squirm, trying to spring up and get away. As soon as Kurama's hands were on his sides, though, his defense was completely shattered and he burst out laughing uncontrollably. To Kurama's ears it was the rarest and most precious sound that could ever be heard. 

"You're so sweet," Kurama cooed, his heart had turned to goo from hearing Hiei's laughter, just as it always did, and he wrapped his arms tightly around the little demon who was still catching his breath. Hiei twisted and pushed against the wall, making a failed attempt to pry Kurama off him, as he was being crushed in his cleavage. 

"You're crushing me!" came a muffled and somewhat angry cry. Kurama let go and looked down to see Hiei being inadvertently smothered. 

"Sorry," he said, laughing with embarrassment. "I guess I momentarily forgot how busty I had become." 

Hiei glared at him, but Kurama just smiled, running his hands through the demon's fluffy black bangs. He was unshakably happy when they were together, and thought he was not overly bubbly or cheery, one could usually find a smile on his face when the Jaganshi was by his side. 

"Let me wash your hair for you," he said, still running his fingers through Hiei's bangs. The frown on his face faded away, into the smallest hint of a smile, and he turned around, sliding closer to Kurama. The fox grabbed the mixture he had created himself to wash Hiei's hair off the shelf, human shampoo would not suffice when washing a demon's silky and beautiful hair, and being half ice maiden Hiei's was finer than most. 

Kurama's hands rubbing against his scalp sent him into such a relaxed state he was nearly purring. He knew that the washing of one's hair would not normally be considered sensual, but Kurama's touch always felt that way, in fact almost everything the redhead did was done with such grace and beauty it became lovely and romantic. 

He squeezed his eyes shut when Kurama poured water over him to wash away the soap. Droplets of water hung off his nose and eyelashes, and dripped down from his hair. He felt the fox's lips on his wet shoulder kissing up to his neck. Kurama's arms wound around him resting his lips softly on the demon's cheek and sighing contentedly. He leaned back, using the redhead's bosom as a pillow and opened his Jagan up, focusing until their minds had touched. 

It was always difficult to connect to Hiei this deeply, though he seemed composed on the outside, things were hectic within his head. All those turbulent emotions only came out when the Jaganshi lost his temper, and anyone who had seen him truly angry knew how chaotic and destructive it could be. Kurama had to concentrate in order to make sense of things, but knew that Hiei was trying to say he loved him. It was so hard for him to say it out loud, and this was the easiest way for the two to share their feelings. The Jagan glowed bright purple while the two joined souls, and by then, the thunderstorm had ended... 

**** 

_More of Kurama's pregnancy coming soon, it's not over yet!!_

_Please Read and Review ^.~_


	2. II

"Kurama! Kurama are you there, augh, help!" Kyo stood at the front door of the cabin struggling with grocery bags in her arms, one having just fallen to the floor. "Please don't be the eggs..." she said, feeling another bag slipping out of her grasp. 

"Coming!" Kurama called from the upstairs landing. The redhead hurried down the staircase, his ponytail bobbing up and down. He rushed over to take some of the bags from his friend and alleviate her dilemma. 

"Thank you," she said breathily, hauling the rest of the bags into the kitchen and setting them down on the table. Kurama piled the remainder of the groceries on the counter and went back to retrieve the bag that had fallen. 

Over the past months, Kurama had relied on the assistance of friends to deliver food and other necessities to the cabin, as he could not very well leave the house looking like he did. If he appeared in public as a woman and was confronted by someone he knew, there would be questions asked which had no easy explanation. One of course must remember the other able bodied member of the household, but over all the years they had been together, Kurama had not been able to force Hiei to go grocery shopping. 

Entering his second trimester of pregnancy, the morning sickness had gradually gone away and he was growing increasingly happy and excited about the birth of his child. Hiei, on the other hand, was growing increasingly agitated and nervous, and had been spending many hours disappearing from sight, most likely leaping off into the woods. 

"Yusuke said he was going to help me the other day but this morning when I called, Atsuko said he had gone out!" Kyo complained. And yes, Yusuke still lived with his mother, much to Keiko's dismay, though he was working hard and saving up to buy a nice house for the two of them. 

She opened the refrigerator and started putting food away, while Kurama placed non perishable items in the cabinets. 

"So I had to carry the groceries all the way up the hill by myself, and since I don't have a car I needed to take a cab and the driver offered to bring me all the way to the house but I know how much Hiei hates cars coming up here and I didn't want him to be mad at me, so I just hauled the bags by myself and I dropped a couple on the way, but of course none of this would have happened if Yusuke had just---" 

She was silenced suddenly by Kurama placing a finger on her lips and smiling at her. She blinked and remained quiet when he took his hand away. 

"It's all right," he assured. "Thank you for bringing the groceries all the way up here. I'll call Keiko and have her scold Yusuke for you, if you like," he laughed, grinning and taking more items from their bags to put them away in the cupboards. 

"I'm sorry I talk so much sometimes but I feel like I always end up screwing things up especially when I'm trying to help someone!" She said, sighing with frustration. 

"You didn't screw anything up," Kurama said. The friend he had met by bumping into her one day on the sidewalk had changed little since they had met. She was fiercely loyal to her friends, overly romantic, slightly clumsy and could become very frazzled when things didn't go her way. He was also finally overcoming her fear of Hiei, and had been doing all she could to win the little demon's approval since the first she had come in contact with him. 

"Where is Hiei?" She asked, speak of the devil.... 

"Upstairs, still curled up in bed asleep," Kurama said, putting away the last of the groceries and throwing the bags in the trash. 

"It's almost lunch time," she said, looking up at the ceiling and picturing the demon sleeping in the bedroom directly above. 

"I have a feeling he left some time during the night and was gone until sunrise," Kurama said. "He was sound asleep when I got up this morning and his tunic was lying at the window." 

"He doesn't seem like the type to sleep in..." Kyo said. 

"I think our bed is the only place in the Ningenkai where he feels safe enough to sleep soundly. Would you like me to go wake him up for you?" He asked. 

"Won't he be mad...?" 

"Not too mad," Kurama smiled, leaving the kitchen and walking up the stairs. He padded into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the mattress, watching his little love slumbering soundly under the blankets. He nudged him slightly, bending over and whispering in his ear. 

"Hiei, wake up," he said softly. Kurama's hair tickling his face is what woke the demon, and he opened one eye slowly, glaring up at the one who had disturbed his sleep. 

"What..." He groaned. 

"Kyo is here and it's time for lunch," he said, pulling the covers off Hiei's body, making him cringe. 

"Why is that girl here," he grumbled, rolling over and yanking a pillow over his head. 

Kurama grabbed him by the ankles then and pulled him out from under the pillows to the foot of the bed. His eyes were half closed with sleep but that did not stop him from giving the fox a discontented stare. 

"I can always carry you downstairs if you refuse to get up," Kurama said, placing his hand on his hip. 

"I can always bite you..." Hiei mumbled, finally climbing out of the soft bed and walking into the bathroom to wash up. He washed off his face, tied the headband around his head to cover his Jagan, and pulled on the fresh clothes Kurama had left out for him. Yawning, he left his dirty clothes in a heap on the floor, he knew the redhead would find them and pick them up eventually. He exited the bathroom and hopped over the railing of the landing to the bottom floor, he rarely used the stairs, and walked into the kitchen. 

Kyo was there at the stove, boiling rice to go with their lunch and preparing some tea. Hiei sat and slumped over the table, he was still exhausted. He had become restless during the night and run off into the forest, taking his frustration out on trees and rocks for hours. Anyone walking through the woods would be able to spot Hiei's favorite places to be by the fact that they were all half destroyed. 

"Where's Kurama?" She asked, pulling some ingredients from the refrigerator. 

"No clue," he said, rubbing his eyes. Kurama was actually still upstairs, making the bed Hiei had left a wreck. "Why are you here?" He asked with much hostility. 

"Oh, I came to deliver your groceries and I thought I'd help Kurama make lunch," she said, smiling and hoping he would find that helpful rather than annoying. Though Kurama was her closest friend, Kyo adored Hiei and would do anything to make the fire demon think of her as more than just a stupid human. 

She sighed, he was still face down on the table and did not seem to actually care what the answer to his question was at all. Looking around for a moment, she tried to think of something that would grab his attention. 

"I brought sweet snow..." She said. Hiei suddenly perked up and looked at her. The phrase sweet snow, his name for ice cream, always got him interested, no matter who was saying it. Ice cream was by far his favorite food and he knew that it had been bought especially for him. 

"What flavor?" He asked, staring at her intensely enough to make her worry he was about to pounce. 

"Chocolate!" She squeaked. 

"Good," he said, nodding his approval and opening the freezer to reveal the luscious and delicious bucket of his treasured sweet snow within. He grabbed it, sat in the middle of the table and held the ice cream box in his lap. He held his hand out demandingly and looked up at Kyo again. She blinked for a minute until she finally realized he wanted a spoon, and quickly grabbed one out of the drawer for him. 

Hiei had downed half of the ice cream by the time Kurama came downstairs again. Kyo was still busily preparing their lunch, though she wondered how hungry Hiei would be after gobbling down so much dessert already. 

"Hiei, get off the table," Kurama scolded, making the demon glance up at him and pause his food frenzy, then slide slowly down into the bench at his feet. 

"I see he found the sweet snow easily enough," Kurama said, stepping up to the stove and pouring tea for the three of them. 

"I got some strawberry for you too," she whispered, "but it hid it under the frozen vegetables so he wouldn't eat it all." 

Hiei normally would have had no trouble hearing what she had just said but he was far too busy licking ice cream off his hands. 

**** 

A month later, Kurama had finally passed the halfway mark of his pregnancy and he was developing a very visible tummy. It did not keep him from his normal household duties though, and early one morning he was busily vacuuming the carpet in the bedroom while Hiei lied face down, sprawled out in their bed. When he pushed the vacuum another meter forward though, he must had pulled the cord from the wall, because the machine suddenly shut down. 

"Oops, I guess I misjudged the length of the cord," he said. He turned to go plug it back in, but a hand swiftly reached out and grabbed him by the back of his pants. 

"No more vacuuming..." Came a muffled voice from below the pillows. Kurama smiled and batted Hiei's hand away. 

"You need to get up and dress yourself anyway, we're visiting mother today," he replied, and turned again to leave the room. Before he could even take a step, though, Hiei's arms were around his waist and pulling him onto the bed. 

"I said, no more," he commanded, gazing seriously down at the redhead. 

"I need to finish," Kurama said, grinning and struggling to get free. He placed his hands in the center of the demon's chest and tried to force him off, but Hiei's grip on him was not going to be broken easily. He had already locked his arms tightly around Kurama, and the redhead writhed playfully in his clutches. Just when all options but begging seemed lost to him, though, Kurama recalled his love's greatest weakness. Before Hiei could think, Kurama's fingers were on his ribs, throwing the remarkably ticklish fire demon into spastic laughter. 

He was on his back, laughing and gasping for air as Kurama leaned over him, smiling with much satisfaction. 

"Beg the great Youko for mercy..." He crooned. 

"Mercy!" Hiei sputtered between heaving laughs. 

Kurama chuckled softly and let him go, adjusting his ponytail and standing while Hiei caught his breath. The redhead smiled down at the demon, who was still panting and glaring distastefully up at him through red slits. 

"You are evil, fox..." He hissed, feigning anger, still glaring, but the hint of a smile could be seen on his lips. 

"I know," Kurama said casually, walking to the door, dragging the vacuum cleaner with him. "Get dressed and shower, mother is expecting us for breakfast." 

When Hiei had taken his shower and put on clean clothes, Kurama was on the landing, still cleaning. He had put away his vacuum cleaner, however, trading it in for a handheld dust buster. Hiei curled up in one of the armchairs and watched, the fox was bending down, cleaning around the feet of the coffee table. His delightfully full female rear end was sticking up into the air, a perfect target. The redhead stood momentarily, and in a flash, the dust buster had vanished from his hand. He tipped his head to look behind him, the stolen item in Hiei's possession. The Jaganshi was still curled up in the chair, grinning deviously up at him. 

"Hiei..." He held out his hand as a request for his cleaning tool back, but instead was greeted by a poke in the bottom and sucking on the seat up his pants by the dust buster. 

"Hiei! Give it back!" He protested, receiving another jab in the posterior and a fanged grin from his partner. 

"Stop!" He cried, running behind the chair, which Hiei quickly leapt out of and knocked over, still coming at Kurama and wielding the dust buster like his katana. 

"Give me my dust buster back!" Kurama demanded, making a grab for it. Hiei was already over the railing and on the bottom floor the second the fox lunged. Kurama followed closely behind, hoisting himself over the rail and landing with animal like grace on the floor. The baby was most likely bobbing like a cork inside him, wondering what could possible be going on outside of her warm little universe. 

Though Kurama chased Hiei throughout the entire house for the next several minutes, he knew it was a futile pursuit. Trying to get something away from a demon with faster than sound speed was not an easy task, especially with the added weight of a baby slowing you down. 

"All right, you win," Kurama finally said, accepting defeat. Being a married couple had in no way depleted their competitive spirit, and Hiei tossed the dust buster back from his current perch on the mantle of the fireplace, happy with his victory. 

"Shall we go see your mother now?" He said, calmly hopping to the floor. 

Kurama sighed deeply and smiled, shaking his head. 

"You are impossible." 

In a half hour, Kurama had finished the weekly cleaning and brushed his hair neatly, which had become quite a mess during his attempt to snatch his dust buster back from a certain little demon. He came downstairs and put on his shoes, Hiei already waiting on the front porch in his size five sneakers, tapping the wooden planks impatiently with his fingertip. 

"I'm sorry, there was a tangle in my hair," Kurama said, locking the door behind him as he stepped outside. Hiei would have complained about the wait, but he adored Kurama's long hair and decided to let it slide. 

"The cab should be here any moment," the fox said, easing himself and his rounding belly down next to Hiei. 

"Cab...?" He said warily, raising a black eyebrow. 

"Yes, cab. You don't expect me to run with you, do you?" 

"You always do..." He said, narrowing his eyes slightly at Kurama. He despised cars, despised elevators, despised any small, mechanically powered mode of transportation. He did not enjoy enclosed spaces and did not trust the feeling of movement caused by anything other than his own two feet. Or perhaps Kurama's arms sweeping him into bed.... But for this reason he forbid Kurama to purchase a car and having far above human speed and endurance, the couple normally would run or walk wherever they needed to go. 

The redhead sighed and leaned back a bit. 

"I'm five months pregnant and I don't feel up to running all the way to mother's house," he said, staring down into the front lawn somewhere, most likely surveying one of his gardens. "You don't have to come with me, of course. You can meet me there." 

"No, I'll come..." His hatred of motor vehicles was apparently not strong enough to make him leave Kurama's side, for the idea of leaving his pregnant husband alone in one of those wretched machines bothered him much more than the machines themselves. 

Kurama blinked his green eyes and stared with surprise for a moment. 

"You've never agreed to ride in a car with me before," he said. 

Hiei simply shrugged, looking off above the treetops. Amused and slightly flattered that Hiei would let his affection and protectiveness win out over his Ningen prejudice, Kurama smiled. 

"You're very sweet, you know that?" He said, gazing fondly at the demon beside him. 

"From all the sweet snow most likely," he mumbled. 

"Hiei, was that a joke?" Kurama laughed. Apparently the Jaganshi had not failed to notice that his level of ice cream consumption was far above normal. 

They waited together for a few more minutes, sitting silently but sharing conversation through telepathy, simply because it was easier and more intimate than speaking. When the cab arrived and Kurama had given directions, he sat down in the back seat, and Hiei climbed in cautiously behind him. He gripped at the seat, clawing with his fingernails, completely out of his element. Like a wild animal suddenly thrust into a cage, he gritted his teeth and tried hard not to become panicked and dart out the door. The cab driver watched in the rear view mirror, somewhat confused, as Kurama rolled down both windows and pulled Hiei tightly against him, stroking his hair and whispering soothing words to calm him down. The little demon clutched onto Kurama's shirt and closed his eyes, focusing on the wind blowing in the window and against his face, and tried to imagine the breeze was coming from a swift run through an open field. 

"Don't worry, it's not that much further," Kurama assured to the small figure still clinging to him. They were only a block away from Shiori's house now, and Hiei began to relax when he looked out the window and recognized the familiar surroundings of Kurama's childhood neighborhood, and knew he would be free soon. 

When the cab had come to the stop, Hiei bolted out the door and onto the front lawn, nearly ripping the handle off in the process. Kurama paid the fare and bid the driver farewell, and when he had turned, the door was opening to reveal his mother standing happily on the front step. 

"Suuichi!" She said, walking out onto the front path and throwing her arms around her son. Though she knew now that his true name was Kurama, the fox had never requested her to stop calling him Suuichi, the name she had given him and known him by his whole human life. Though he had never enjoyed the name, he did not complain. It connected him to his mother and he treasured her too much to ever hint that he did not like what he had been named by her. 

"Hello mother," he said, kissing her cheek and smiling. In his female body, they were the same height, and the shape of their faces and bodies were nearly identical. As a woman, the relationship between Kurama and Shiori as mother and child was much more obvious, despite the change in hair and eye color. To that day, it was still not quite known who exactly he had inherited the striking red hair from. 

"How is our little miracle today?" She asked, placing her hand lightly on Kurama's stomach. 

"Perfectly all right," he chuckled. The curse had obviously come as a huge shock to Shiori, especially because of the fact that her son was going to have a baby. She had gradually gotten over her uneasiness speaking with him in his changed form, however. Male or female, fox or human, she did not mind as long as her only child was alive and healthy. The situation had actually brought them even closer, with Shiori having the opportunity to share her experiences during pregnancy with her son. Her anticipation grew each day as she excitedly awaited the birth of her first grandchild. 

"And Hiei?" She said, turning to the blacked haired demon who was waiting patiently on the front step. 

"Fine," he said, trying his best to smile but ending up awkwardly showing off his fangs. He had grown to love his partner's mother, but he was still never quite sure what to say to her. 

When they had finished breakfast, the three of them sat together on the couch, sipping tea contentedly. 

"I'm so happy that you're finally over your morning sickness," Shiori said. "I was a wreck the entire time I was pregnant with you." 

"Believe me, I'm very happy about it as well." He said. "I can't remember when I've ever had to endure that much constant misery." 

"Your father and I tried so long to have a baby though," she said, smiling and becoming reminiscent. "Your birth was truly a blessing to us." 

"I suppose I'm fortunate that a made a good choice for my mother. A virgin birth would have raised suspicions, I'm sure," he joked. 

Shiori smiled fondly and nodded. Rather than being disappointed that she was not Kurama's true mother when he had finally told her, she felt lucky and honored that she had been able to care for such a unique being and show him the motherly love that he had never received in the harsh world of demons. 

"You were such an adorable baby," she said. "The first thing the doctor said when you were born was, 'Look at that hair!'" 

Kurama and Shiori both laughed while Hiei sat back and listened carefully while drinking his tea. 

"Would you like to see some pictures of Suuichi when he was a baby, Hiei?" Shiori leaned over and asked him. He blinked and stared at her for a moment. Having met Kurama in his early teens, he had never pictured the fox as anything but a human man or a tall, silvery Youko. 

"A baby?" He repeated, trying hard to imagine his lover as a tiny baby but not coming up with anything other than the image of a fox kit. 

"This is the part where mother gets to embarrass me with naked baby photos," Kurama laughed softly. 

Shiori stood and retrieved a thick photo album from the bookshelf, and sat down between the pair, opening it up in her lap. The album began with a picture in a hospital room, most likely taken by Kurama's late father, of a younger and tired looking Shiori holding a white bundle of blankets in her arms with a small face peeking out. 

"This is Suuichi on the day he was born," she said. 

Hiei looked up from the page at his lover beside him, wondering how the tiny creature in the picture could have grown into such a beautiful form. They went through nearly a dozen pages of baby pictures. Redheaded baby in the bath, redheaded baby in a crib, redheaded baby in a highchair, all very boring to Hiei. It was not until they reached pages where he had grown into a recognizable young Kurama that Hiei started to take interest again. 

"The first day of school," Shiori said, pointing to little Kurama with a backpack slung over his shoulders, all set to go. "He was so excited." As she turned more pages to show Kurama's childhood, Hiei was completely captivated. It was suddenly sinking into his head that he soon would have a child like this to care for, and the idea was both wonderful and terrifying. He had never even realized how small and fragile human children were, or how adorable. The handsome man he loved so much was truly precious as a child, and looking at the images of the young boy made him feel the warmth he did when he looked into the face of his sister. The same sweetness and innocence was there. 

"We've always had such a beautiful garden in front of our house," Shiori said, flipping to a page with a lopsided picture of herself sitting in the front yard with the garden behind her. Hiei imagined Kurama's little hands must have not been able to handle the camera properly. The thought of the graceful fox during clumsy days of childhood amused him. 

"Neighbors always thought the flowers had been grown by me, but truthfully I can't grow a plant to save my life," she laughed. "Suuichi began his garden when he was a very little boy." She looked over several more pictures of the garden and pointed smiling with a bit of confusion in her features. "I never could figure out what these orange flowers were..." 

Kurama blushed when he glanced at the plant she was referring to. "A plant not normally found on this planet..." he said. It had been a special hybrid he had bred using pollen from the Makai, truly one of a kind. 

More pages went by, and when they had reached pictures of Kurama during the ages of twelve and thirteen, Hiei was slightly surprised to see how gangly and awkward he had been before puberty had changed his physique. With short hair and hardly any muscle tone, he was far from the perfect male figure he normally possessed. Hiei glanced up at the lovely woman his partner had become, and suddenly remembered how much he missed the feeling of strong arms around him at night. The redheaded female was a remarkable beauty to behold, but was less than impressive for the fire demon compared to the Kurama he knew. Perhaps his judgment was hindered, but the body comparable to a super model that the fox had been forced to live with was ugly in Hiei's eyes, still a stranger holding his Kurama captive. 

That night when the moon had risen, Kurama sat in bed fully enthralled in a book, his wire framed reading glasses on the tip of his nose. Hiei lied with his head on the pillow beside him, staring unblinkingly, watching Kurama's green eyes scan each page. The redhead's body was changing too rapidly... He wanted his mate back. 

"Kurama..." 

"Hmm...?" came the response, though he did not even look up from his book. 

Hiei continued to stare, practically boring a hole into him with his eyes, but Kurama only continued to read. Finally, the demon became too frustrated to wait for attention any longer and snatched the book, throwing it across the room. Kurama blinked and finally made eye contact. 

"You're going to rip my book treating it that way," he said evenly. 

"Stop being so calm," Hiei ordered, glaring at him. "Get angry for once, why don't you ever lose control, what's wrong with you!" He said, raising his voice with each word. He knew, of course, he was being completely irrational, throwing all his tangled emotion into Kurama's face to try and deal with. It was true, though; the fox always remained collected. Panic, rage, those feelings never revealed themselves. Hiei had always admired that about him. It made him a dangerous opponent in battle, you could never be sure just how scared or sure of himself he was, so it was easy to be taken by surprise. Now though, the lack of outward worry had begun to anger him. If he could not control how he felt... why should Kurama be able to? 

"Just because I fail to lose my temper at the drop of a hat does not mean there's something wrong with me," he said, his expression suddenly becoming blank, instantly blocking any chance Hiei had to read him. If he had been dealing with a normal human or a lesser demon, reading their thoughts would have been simple, but Kurama of course was not probed so easily. His mind was guarded carefully, his thoughts never shown by the powers of the Jagan unless he wanted them to be. 

Hiei clenched his teeth. 

"How much longer?" He demanded. 

"Until the baby is born?" 

"Yes..." 

"Still four months to go, have you really forgotten how to count so easily?" The first hint Kurama was aggravated, he was mocking him. Instead of yelling, shooting back a snide comment or acting like the other person did not know what they were talking about was his style of arguing. 

Though the play had continued as usual since Kurama had been cursed, deep beneath all the apparent happiness was unrest. Hiei was not content, things were simply not right between them. 

"How can you deal with this so easily, Kurama. What if you never get your body back." 

"I've lost a body before, I'm sure I will survive," he answered, removing his glasses and setting them on the night stand. That indifference was what was gnawing at Hiei the most. He could not stand the fact that it did not seem like Kurama cared either way, and could tell he was lying. He _did_ care. Why wouldn't that damn fox drop his guard for once. 

"Stop acting like it doesn't matter! It's not the same and you know it!" As his voice rose, Kurama could feel his body temperature starting to rise as well. He shifted a bit, worried Hiei may set fire to the bed. When he became angry, he also became hotter, a natural reaction that he usually did not even notice was happening until he was already burning to the touch. 

"Lower your voice, you're acting like a child," he said coldly. 

Anyone but Kurama he would have struck at this point. He was displaying everything and still the fox acted as if it did not matter. Was his pride that important to him that he could not even break down in front of his own husband? He was not even looking at him anymore, his heavily lashed eyes glancing somewhere off into the corner of the room. 

"Look at me, Kurama, now!" he yelled. 

"Is that a command?" he replied flatly, not allowing an ounce of concern seep out. 

"DAMN IT!" A wave of energy suddenly surged from Hiei and cracked the headboard into two halves, nearly knocking Kurama onto the floor. The dam had broken and the untamed emotion Hiei kept locked up was surging out in great gushes. 

"Start caring! Why don't you care!? You and Yukina are the only ones I love! I feel like I've lost you!" he screamed. His fists were clenched tightly and his eyes were squeezed shut. "I want my mate back! I don't want this woman in my bed anymore! I WANT HIM BACK! I WANT HIM BACK!" He roared. Kurama's mouth was agape, and when black tear gems began to fall onto the bed, the stoicism was gone, his heart melted. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around the little demon tightly, who had broken into sobs. 

"Please don't cry, my love, it's all right..." He said, feeling like he may cry himself. Hiei shedding tears was truly the most heartbreaking sight that can be imagined. "I didn't mean to..." he clutched him closer to his body, "I didn't mean to send you over the edge like that." 

Hiei buried his face in Kurama's bosom and clutched at his shirt, feeling completely ashamed of himself for crying, but at least he was with one of the only two people in the world who would never think differently of him for it. 

"I'm so sorry..." Kurama whispered, stroking Hiei's hair lightly and rocking him. "I'm simply not thinking straight. I know you've been leaving during the night, I know I've been locking you out but..." Kurama closed his eyes and pulled Hiei against him tight enough to feel both their hearts beating together. "I'm frightened, I'm not used to expressing it..." 

"Neither am I," Hiei said, having suppressed his tears quickly. He looked up and leaned back, nudging Kurama's face so he would open his eyes. "But I trust you. You are the only one I would show my fear to. Do the same for me, please." 

With those pleading red orbs gazing up at him, Kurama felt totally disgusted with himself for acting as if nothing was wrong. It took incredible love and trust for Hiei to let his true self emerge, Kurama knew he owed him the same in return. 

"No more hiding then," he agreed. "I will never fail to run to you again." 

Hiei nodded, he was satisfied with that answer. He wound his arms around Kurama and brought their lips together for a kiss, the easiest way, he felt, to say that all was forgiven. Kurama accepted happily, their tongues winding together, and he noted Hiei's body was beginning to cool down. It did not take him long to become calm again, and Kurama had always thought the little demon's emotions were comparable to a roller coaster, up and down within seconds. 

The redhead pulled his mouth away slowly, gently wiping any remaining trace of tears from Hiei's face. 

"I'm very sorry," he said honestly. 

Hiei smiled and shook his head lightly. 

"No, don't be. I shouldn't have launched everything at you at once like that." 

"Nonsense, a direct attack has always been your style, has it not?" Kurama said, letting a small grin form on his face while he petted Hiei's hair. He received a slightly amused 'Hn' and a smile. 

"I suppose so." He snuggled comfortably in Kurama's lap and the fox held him tenderly. Their disagreements never lasted very long, they were both glad for that. 

"Please promise you won't stay like this forever..." he said softly. 

"I cannot make that promise," Kurama sighed. "But I will do everything in my power to set things right. Any effort will have to wait until the baby is born, though..." 

"I know." 

Kurama continued to hold one arm around Hiei while he began plucking up the teargems from the sheets and placing them on the night stand. 

"I hope... It's red," Hiei said. 

"What is?" Kurama paused what he was doing and looked down at the demon in his lap. 

"Today, your mother said that when you were born, the first thing the doctor noticed was your red hair. I hope our child's hair is red." 

The best he knew how, Hiei had just given a compliment. And of all things, it had been a compliment on a relatively unimportant matter like hair color. Kurama smiled softly and nuzzled against Hiei's own fluffy hair, holding him close. His shy, roundabout way of showing affection was one of the things Kurama adored about him. 

"I love you," Kurama said. Hiei simply pressed his body against Kurama and purred. 

They fell asleep in each other's arms... 

**** 

When Hiei awoke the next morning, or rather afternoon, Kurama was already up as 

he usually was. While Kurama rose early, ready to greet the day the moment the sun had appeared in the sky, Hiei would sometimes sleep the entire day. He had been nocturnal for most of his life and adjusting to sleeping at night was still difficult, even after all his years in the Ningenkai. 

The Jaganshi sprung from the bed, out the window, and following a quick boost off a tree branch, he was on the roof of the cabin. He yawned and stretched his arms out above his head, considering going for a quick run of a few dozen kilometers before heading downstairs for something to eat. It was then that he noticed something in the front yard. He perched on the edge of the roof and peered down to the grassy hill below him to see Kurama darting about, swinging his Rose Whip gracefully. 

Hiei sat and watched, very amused in what he was seeing, Kurama attempting to train his skills with a pregnant tummy bulging under his clothes. It was quite comical, in fact. He sat on the roof and observed for several minutes, Kurama tossing rocks high into the air and with one quick flick of his wrist, sending the thorny vine up to break them in half. He danced across the lawn, attacking his own thrown targets, the Rose Whip swirling about him, alive with his own spirit energy. Hiei became captivated, forgetting about the awkwardness of the fox's rounded stomach and getting lost in the beauty of his flowing movements. He knew Kurama was trying to show that his true self had not been lost in this changed form, to let Hiei know that he was still there for him to rely on. 

Suddenly though, Kurama faltered, dropping the whip and falling to his knees. The long vine instantly changed back to a rose when it left his hand and lay forgotten in the grass. Hiei was at his side in an instant, steadying him and holding him supportively. 

"Are you all right?" He asked as Kurama sat down on the ground and panted slightly. He brushed his hair from his brow and smiled a bit. 

"Swollen breasts, backache and cramps are problems I never imagined would hinder my skills," he laughed. "At least the lovely vomiting every morning has ended." 

Hiei raised his eyebrows. Kurama had been keeping most of the side effects of his pregnancy private if he could. Though he talked frankly about most things, speaking of the feminine problems he was experiencing was embarrassing, even in front of the person he trusted most. 

"Can I do something to help?" The fire demon asked, still gazing with concern, even if Kurama did not appear to be in any pain. 

"A back massage would be wonderful," he said, glancing up with a sweet grin, the late summer sun shining high in the sky making his emerald eyes sparkle. Hiei settled into the soft grass behind Kurama and began gently but firmly rubbing his back and shoulders. Kurama retrieved his rose from the ground and toyed with it absentmindedly while slipping into complete relaxation as Hiei massaged him. 

"Tell me about your childhood. I want to know what to expect," Hiei said. 

"Every child is different, there are no guarantees our baby will be anything like me," Kurama said, making his rose wither and bloom again just to keep his hands occupied. 

"Tell me anyway." 

"Well, I was born to my mother in the spring, and my father died when I was very young, I never really got to know him very well." 

"Were you aware?" Hiei asked. 

"Pardon?" 

"Did you still have your mature mind, or did you have a child's mind?" 

"Oh, well when I was small I still had my memories of being Youko but... things were muddled. It was not as if I was an adult trapped in a child's body, I was definitely childlike. My intellect and skills did not begin to return until I was four or five, and even then it was impossible for my young human mind to act as if I were a kitsune again. I was simply labeled by teachers as 'gifted' for knowing more than I should. As you know, I planned to return to the Makai when I was ten, knowing my energy would have come back to me, but by that time came around I had already grown to love my mother too much to leave." He sighed, still playing with the rose in his hands. "During those years when I had so many confused memories of my former life floating around, though... it was not easy on mother. I treated her horribly, as if she was not worthy of me." 

"She's never mentioned that," Hiei said. 

"She cares too much to think badly of her own child. I was not a very good son when I was younger though.... The feelings of superiority from an ancient Youko mixed up with the rebellion against authority from a child do not make a friendly combination. I rarely listened, I said awful things, knowing I was something more than human I felt I was too good for her. I've always felt very guilty for acting the way I did. I would give anything to go back and tell myself how horrible I was being, to give a warning that I would regret it all later." 

"That night with Yusuke, when you used the Forlorn Hope, you said you felt like you had caused her illness." 

Kurama turned to look at him. "You really heard every word that was said that night, didn't you?" He touched Hiei's lips gently with his fingertip and leaned back against his warm body. "I honestly do feel that way. Perhaps if I had been better to her when I was small, her condition would not have become so serious. I am simply thankful every day that she is here with me. If she had died... I do not think I would be here now. I most likely would have gone back to the Makai and thrown my life away. Been killed by some rogue demon who had been waiting to get his revenge on Youko Kurama after he had gone missing all those years. Yusuke would be dead, the human world would be in chaos, and I don't even want to imagine what you would have done with yourself...." 

"You saved me from making a lot of mistakes, Kurama..." Hiei said, holding his arms tightly around his partner and resting his hands on Kurama's tummy. 

"I wonder what mother would think if she knew that, simply by living, she had changed the outcome of history so greatly," Kurama said, holding Hiei's hands under his own. 

"I don't know...." 

Kurama gasped suddenly and sat up, holding his hands over his lower stomach. 

"What? What's wrong!" Hiei said frantically. 

Kurama took Hiei by the wrist and guided his palm to the spot of his stomach he had been holding. 

"Here, feel right there," he instructed, smiling broadly. "Can you feel it?" 

Hiei waited patiently for a moment, until he felt a small movement against his hand. It intensified slightly and he heard a small laugh from Kurama, as if something was tickling him from the inside. Hiei was spellbound, he could feel some of the first actions of his own child from deep within Kurama's body. 

"I never imagined what a wonderful experience it could be," Kurama said, still smiling, "to feel my baby tossing about inside me." 

"What is she doing?" Hiei asked. 

"She's your child after all, so I'd guess she's impatient to find a way out and pick her first fight," he laughed. 

Hiei smiled softly and bent down, placing his lips against Kurama's tummy. Kurama petted his little demon's hair gently. Only the night before he had been crying, his emotions in complete chaos, and now his was on his knees, giving his unborn daughter her first kiss. This was, Kurama noted, the first time he had shown any affection towards the life growing inside him. It was also the first time he had referred to the baby as 'she' instead of 'it'. The fact finally must have registered that this huge tummy actually had a person inside it, a third member of their family waiting to arrive. 

**** 

_::The rest of the pregnancy will arrive soon! Please review!::_


	3. III

**::Note::** After three long years... this story is finally completed. I never forgot about it. I hope you all enjoy the ending!

"Hiei..."

No response.

"Hiei."

Still nothing. The little Jaganshi was completely and utterly asleep. He had finally managed to drift off after Kurama had tossed and turned _all night_. Of course, that was only because the baby had been kicking and wiggling _all night_. The sixth month of Kurama's pregnancy was half over already, and the baby had become extremely active over the past few weeks. She especially enjoyed doing somersaults while the couple was trying to sleep. That night, the fetal gymnastics had lasted nearly five hours on and off. The sun was rising by the time she had finally decided to settle down.

"Hiei!" The demon had been asleep barely half an hour, and now his red haired lover was shaking him by the shoulders, stirring him out of his dreamland.

"What..." he hissed, opening one red eye and glaring up at Kurama.

"I need you to go to the store for me," he instructed.

"You're dreaming..." Hiei rolled over and buried his face back in the soft pillows, trying to fall back to sleep and ignore Kurama prodding at his back.

"Hiei! Wake up!" he demanded. The fire demon rolled back over and bared his fangs, growling lowly and staring up into Kurama's green eyes.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I can't sleep until you go to the store for me!" Kurama huffed.

"No." He pulled both of his pillows over his head and disappeared under the quilts. Kurama blinked and stared down at him with exasperation before lifting the blanket up and shoving his cold feet against Hiei's bare back. After making a sudden yelp like a puppy getting kicked in the head Hiei tumbled off the edge of the bed onto the hard floor. A tuft of black hair rose over the edge of the bed a few moments later followed by two, glowing, very angry looking ruby colored eyes. Kurama had his arms folded across his chest over his bulging tummy.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I need chocolate," he announced.

"THAT is what you woke me up for?" Hiei growled, snatching one of the blankets from the bed, ready to go downstairs and sleep on the sofa.

"And pickles."

"What!"

"I can't sleep unless I have some."

"Insane..." Hiei hissed as he headed towards the door with the blanket dragging behind him.

"Hiei!"

The demon was stopped by a wall of wooden spikes suddenly growing out of the floorboards and blocking his path. His eyes opened wide and he turned back to face Kurama, who was still sitting on the bed, staring at him demandingly. They locked eyes and gazed without blinking for several minutes, each waiting for the other to break. Finally though, Hiei sighed and rolled his eyes, dropping the blanket he was still clutching in an unceremonious heap on the floor.

"Fine... I'll go."

"That's better," Kurama said, leaning back against his pillows and folding his hands neatly on top of his belly.

Hiei snarled softly and stomped out the door of the bedroom, leaping over the railing and pulling his sneakers on at the door. Non-pregnant Kurama would never had made an irrational demand like this. That was just one more thing that had changed, the redhead had started having mood swings and craving odd foods during the past week. Hiei had managed to avoid having to go and get him anything so far, but this time it seemed he would not be able to get away with it so easily.

"Damn stupid chocolate and pickles..." he mumbled. "I'll shove them down your throat when I get back..."

"I heard that!" Kurama shouted from upstairs. Hiei clenched his teeth and shot a dirty look at the open bedroom door upstairs before slamming the front door behind him.

Hiei ran nearly twenty kilometers out of his way to burn off some steam before entering town. He knew it would cause an inter-wordly incident if he destroyed half of Japan. Not to mention facing a very angry husband when he got home... He approached a convenience store with a sign in the window reading 'Open Twenty-four Hours'. Knowing that meant it would probably be the only shop open at six o'clock in the morning, he glared angrily at the front door before shoving it open and stepping inside.

The sleepy looking clerk blinked and eyed him warily when he stormed into the store, wondering what the dark clothed little man could possibly be doing there so early in the morning. Hiei approached the candy section and grabbed a huge chocolate bar before moving to get a jar of pickles. Realizing he did not recall bringing any cash with him, he reached into his pockets, hoping he would have enough to pay. What he pulled out though, was Kurama's credit card. Yusuke had once explained to him the concept of 'buy now and pay later', and this brought a grin to his face as he glanced over at the freezers full of ice cream.

"Hn... It will serve you right, demanding fox..." he mumbled.

By the time he had returned home, Kurama had gotten over his craving and gone downstairs to make himself some breakfast. When he heard the front door open and the sound of Hiei kicking off his shoes, he prepared himself to apologize to the little demon. Apologize, that is, until he saw the Jaganshi set down three huge shopping bags on the table.

"What is all this?" he asked, moving over to examine the contents.

"Your chocolate and pickles, along with a little compensation for myself."

Kurama's eyes widened as he pulled open the bags.

"There must be ten gallons of ice cream here!" he exclaimed. "Did you steal this!?"

"Theft is your forte," he said, glaring up at Kurama for accusing him like that. "Besides, I wouldn't waste my time on stealing when I have this handy little item at my disposal." He dropped the credit card on the table and received an exasperated look from Kurama.

"I didn't give you permission to use this!"

"I don't need your permission to do anything," he growled. He grabbed a carton of his ice cream and got ready to dive out the window over the table.

"Don't run away from me!" Kurama ordered, grabbing onto his shirt sleeve and pointing at the front door. "Go and return all this ice cream right now."

"Do it yourself..."

"You know I can't leave the house like this!"

"I don't care..." Hiei slapped Kurama's hand away and kicked the window open, nearly breaking the glass. He clutched a carton of ice cream to his chest and leapt outside, leaving a stunned and furious Kurama standing alone in the kitchen.

A short time later, Shiori heard an almost nonexistent knock on her front door. At first she thought it must have been her imagination, but when she checked to see what had caused the sound, she found a completely dejected looking Kurama standing on her front stoop.

"Suuichi, what on earth is the matter?" she asked. His hair hadn't been brushed, that was her first clue something was wrong. He always kept his hair perfectly groomed unless something had him extremely depressed. As her eyes trailed away from his tangled hair, she saw that he had not even bothered to change his clothes. He'd simply thrown on a trench coat to cover his pajamas.

"May I come in...?"

"Of course, sweetie, come sit down and let me get you some tea." She took him by the arm and led him into the house. She sat down on the couch next to him when he did not let go of her, wrapping her arms around him tightly and rocking him like she had when he was a baby.

"Please tell me what's wrong."

"Hiei and I had an argument," he said softly, before breaking down into tears. This shocked Shiori greatly, her son rarely cried. Even when he was a child it would take a great deal of anguish to bring him to tears. "He leapt out the window before I could even finish speaking, so I went for a walk and ended up home..."

"You walked all the way here?" she exclaimed, concerned for his health and that of his baby.

"I wanted to clear my head." He sat up and dried his eyes with the sleeve of his coat, which his mother had not even gotten a chance to take off and hang up. "Look at me, I'm acting like a complete fool, crying over something so insignificant..." he scolded himself. "Do you know why he ran off? I yelled at him for buying ice cream, when I was the one who ordered him to the store in the first place."

"You were having another craving, weren't you?" she asked.

"Things have gotten to the point where I just can't wait until all of this is over. I'm sick of being trapped like this." He leaned forward and held his face in his hands. "I thought I would be able to deal, but I do not think I am cut out to bear a child."

"Once you hold your baby in your arms for the first time, the whole nine months will seem like a long forgotten dream," she said, smiling and stroking her son's hair gently.

"I sincerely hope so."

"Why don't you go upstairs to your old room and see if you can find something decent to wear while I make us an early lunch," she suggested. Kurama nodded and slowly made his way up the stairs. He sat down on his bed, looking around the unused bedroom. The shelves and tables looked painfully empty with all his potted plants gone, which he of course had brought with him when he and Hiei moved in together. He lied back on the bed, staring up at the blank ceiling and sighing deeply. The lids on his green eyes sank closed from the exhaustion of the sleepless night before, and he imagined Hiei rapping at his window pane, asking to be let in as he had so many times before. It was then that he _did_ hear a tap on the glass, and his eyes shot open. First he assumed it must be the tree branches blowing against the house, but when he sat up and looked outside, he was greeted with the familiar sight of the little Jaganshi perched on the edge of the limb, waiting for the window to be opened. Kurama stood and let him inside, the demon leaping off the branch and landing on the bed, shoes and all. He still often forgot to use his manners, but Kurama supposed under the circumstances, it really did not matter.

"I guessed you must be here," he said, sitting down and looking somewhat shamefully at the floor. The look in his eyes told Kurama he was sorry for lashing out, and there was no way to resist forgiving the apologetic glimmer in those crimson orbs. Kurama sat down on the mattress beside him and wrapped his arms around his partner.

"I'm not mad anymore. It was really my fault to begin with." He nuzzled his face in Hiei's soft hair and breathed in his rich, smoky scent.

"Yes, it was. Now come home with me."

Kurama smiled and tipped Hiei's face up so they were nose to nose. "I'm glad you agree," he said, giving him a quick peck on the lips. Since a tiny peck was definitely not satisfactory for a demon who had not gotten sex in weeks due to a very pregnant fox... he grabbed hold of Kurama's side locks and pulled him to a fiery kiss.

"Hiei," Kurama said when he managed to pull away for a moment to breathe, "my mother is right downstairs."

The little demon grinned mischievously and licked his fangs. "Then it will be just like when you were younger... How thrilling."

"No, Hiei, you mustn---" but he was cut off by the dark haired demon molding their lips together again and pushing him onto his back. His coat was yanked off and his wrists were tied to the headboard with Hiei's arm wrappings faster than he could blink.

"Please stop, this honestly isn't the time for something like this, Hiei," Kurama said, giving him a disapproving stare as the demon knelt over him, his body barely clearing the ever growing tummy.

"Eating all that sweet snow put me in a good mood, I want to prove to you that I forgive you, fox..." Hiei started to undo the top button of Kurama's nightshirt carefully, smirking with satisfaction.

"Enough of this," Kurama said, rolling his eyes and sighing, as he flexed his arms and got ready to break the bandages tying his arms. However, when he began to tug on the bindings, he found he was unable to break them. He strained his wrists, and pulled with all his might, but the knots remained solid.

"Hiei, what did you do to these wards...?" Kurama said, narrowing his eyes as Hiei undid another button.

"The spell that harnesses the power of my black dragon in those wards... I doubled it," he said, gazing down at Kurama with a wickedly devious expression.

"Did you plan all of this!?" Kurama gasped, beginning to become exasperated, trying to break the bindings.

"Of course not..." Hiei said, undoing a third button. "I did it just outside the window. When I saw you in here on your bed... it reminded me of all those times when we had to come together in secret, in the dead of night..."

"You tricked me!" Kurama shouted, his voice unnaturally high pitched, the shrillness enhanced by the feminine tone he had been stuck with for months. "You had me believing those sad eyes you had were genuine!"

"This is your own fault, you know," Hiei said with an oddly seductive tone as he undid the second to last button.

"Would you care to explain how this is my fault? Perhaps I am to blame for making you angry, but I don't believe I asked to be tied to my bed!"

Hiei leaned down, his abdomen pressing very lightly against Kurama's huge belly, and whispered in his husband's ear, "Because... You taught me how to love, when I didn't think love existed, and now I want some from you..."

Kurama's heavy breathing paused and he stared past Hiei at his childhood ceiling. At times, when Hiei uttered words from the depths of his tumultuous soul, even the well spoken fox could find nothing to say. It was as if these things had been drawn up from a place not even the most well traveled man would ever see. So much was lurking inside the chaos Hiei possessed, maybe more than even he, the infamous master of locks and tricks, could unravel.

Hiei sat back up a bit and undid the last button, before slowly opening up the front of the nightshirt to reveal Kurama's full and melon sized breasts, made even rounder by his pregnancy.

"Hiei..." Kurama whispered, having finally stopped struggling and given in to his little dominator. "Please be gentle."

"You know I would never hurt you."

"You've hurt me plenty of times," Kurama said.

"Never in a time when it mattered..."

Hiei cupped the soft breasts in his hands and leaned down to kiss Kurama, and as the all-knowing Shiori wisely stayed downstairs, the pair very, very quietly made love.

:x:

Month seven of Kurama's pregnancy had finally begun, and today he stood in his bedroom with a package from his mother before him. Hiei lurked behind him, peeking over his shoulder at the strange item in Kurama's hands.

"I suppose it was inevitable..."

"Is this an undergarment?" Hiei asked innocently enough. He had never worn human-made clothes until he met Kurama, and underwear were not a traditional article of clothing in the part of demon world where he grew up.

"Yes, it is..." Kurama said, pulling his shirt off and laying it down on the bedspread.

"Why do you need underwear for the top?" Hiei said as he sat on the mattress and observed Kurama put on the strange thing he had never seen before.

"It's called a brassier, and all women wear one under their clothing," Kurama explained as he did the clasps in the back.

"Every day?"

"Normally, yes. And, unfortunately for me, my breasts have gotten too heavy to go without one from now on," he sighed deeply and adjusted the cups until they felt somewhat comfortable. "It seems mother was able to pick out an adequate size, though..."

Hiei stared at Kurama fondling his bosom and the material covering it up, shielding the chest he had, as of late, become quite interested in, from his eyes.

"I don't like it."

"Well, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I have to wear it until this pregnancy is over, Hiei, perhaps even longer..." Kurama tugged his shirt back on and took the packaging strewn over the bed away to put into the garbage.

"ALL the time?" Hiei asked with annoyance, following Kurama into the bathroom.

"Well, not at night, I suppose... I honestly don't know all the rules of lingerie, Hiei. I haven't been a woman for very long."

"It's stupid..." Hiei growled, walking away from Kurama and sitting on the railing of the landing. The fox strode up behind him and rested his hands on the railing at Hiei's sides.

"Try not to be such a grouch," Kurama said, pressing his belly up against his lover's back. "Your daughter wants you to put a smile on, can you feel her cheering for you?"

Hiei closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the gentle tingling against his lower back caused by the baby inside Kurama's stomach. He turned around swiftly and placed his hands on his husband's abdomen, pressing gently for a better feel. He could sense the baby becoming stronger every day, her punches and kicks were getting more forceful all the time. He wondered what it must be like to live inside someone else's body for so long. Though his memory was very precise, and far reaching, he could not recall what it had been like before his birth. He supposed, perhaps no one could remember that part of his life.

"How much longer..." he said softly.

"It won't be too long now, Hiei. Before you know it, our child will be coming into the world," Kurama rubbed his tummy and smiled, "I'm so excited. It's strange, on some days I feel miserable, and I wish none of this had ever happened, but today, I'm so happy."

"Me too," said Hiei. "Even though I don't like that thing you're wearing."

Later that night, after they had finished supper, the pair sat on the downstairs sofa and listened to music as Hiei rubbed Kurama's back.

"A little harder, please."

"Do you want me to snap your spine?" Hiei asked as he kneaded his knuckles against the fox's vertebrae.

"I said a _little_," Kurama said, rolling his head from side to side, trying to relieve the ache in his back and shoulders.

"I thought this whatever it is that you're wearing was supposed to help ease your pain," Hiei said, still bitter about Kurama's bra.

"It will, hopefully, but right now, nothing is helping..." Kurama sighed and stood up from his seat, turning the music off.

"I believe I am going to go lie down, and perhaps even go to sleep."

"It's early," Hiei said, looking out the front window at the setting sun.

"Not too early," Kurama said as he winced and began walking up the stairs. Hiei gazed out the windows at the scenery and tried to decide what he felt like doing, now that he was going to be alone. He thought he would probably go outside and train for a while, but as he was making up his mind, he heard Kurama suddenly stumble on the staircase.

The demon shot up and was at his lover's side in a second. Kurama had faltered and just barely grabbed hold of the railing in time to save himself from falling.

"What's wrong?" Hiei demanded, helping Kurama steady himself.

"It's just a false contraction, I'll be fine..." he said as he stood up straight and regained his balance.

"How do you know it's false?" Hiei asked, grabbing Kurama's shoulders and starting to panic at this thought.

"Because I've had them before," he answered, brushing Hiei's hands aside and making his way up the rest of the stairs. "It startled me is all, please don't concern yourself."

"Does it hurt?" Hiei darted up the next few stairs ahead of him and stopped Kurama in his tracks again. He knew the fox had the bad habit of acting indifferent when something was ailing him.

"A bit..." Kurama stared at Hiei for a moment with a hint of annoyance tracing his features. "I just need to lie down, please get out of the way."

He nudged the Jagan master aside and made his way across the landing and into their bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Hiei stood on the staircase for a moment, looking at the closed door. He wondered why the fox who had been so happy and cheerful that afternoon now seemed to want nothing to do with him. Grabbing his sword and dragging it out the front door, he pondered all the changes Kurama was going through, and longed for the day he would stop being a woman. In spite of anything he would say to the contrary, the hormones flooding his body were having an affect on his personality, one which was growing more profound as the days progressed.

Hiei sighed and walked to the edge of their lawn, sticking a single leaf to the side of a tree by piercing it with the jagged bark. Sluggishly moving his feet with each step, he paced across the yard before flinging his sword and piercing the leaf perfectly with the tip. Normally he would have been pleased with his flawless aim, but all he could do was stare blankly for a moment before sitting down in the grass. Plucking out one blade at a time, he felt the rare ache of loneliness filling him up. In all the time he had spent alone while he was growing up, he was hardly ever lonely. He liked being by himself, but today all he wanted was to be with Kurama.

"I want my fox back..." he said pathetically, lying down in the cool grass and watching a little bird hop around in Kurama's garden. The bird stopped and watched him back, and the two stared at each other in a silent understanding for a very long time, before Hiei finally fell asleep.

Many hours later, he felt a soft hand stroking his hair. Still deep in sleep, he imagined it was his mother, soothing her lost child and taking away his sadness. As he began to awaken, though, he remembered his mother was long dead, and reality came back to him as the thought disappeared into nothingness. He opened his eyes and looked around at the grass and trees and climbing, thorny rosebushes, and eventually realized that the person stroking his hair was Kurama. The fox was sitting next to him, still dressed, with a grey cardigan pulled over his rounding form.

"Summer is over, little one. You shouldn't sleep outside in the grass anymore."

"Don't call me that," Hiei said crankily as he sat up next to Kurama and rubbed his eyes. He waited for a lecture, then, about catching a cold or not wearing his cloak or getting grass stains on the clothes Kurama had to wash... but when he heard nothing but the chirping of insects, he looked over into Kurama's face.

The red head was still sitting, watching him as he woke up, with a somewhat tender but slightly sad expression.

"I'm sorry about before," he said quietly. "I know you were only trying to help."

Hiei shrugged and plucked at the grass again. "It's fine."

"You know, I rather liked what we did at mother's house last week..." Kurama said, smiling a little. "I forgot to tell you that."

Hiei blinked his red eyes a few times and looked back up again, now listening fully.

"It made me feel like myself again, for a little while..." Kurama inched closer and started to lean against Hiei's chest. The fire demon let his arms remain at his sides for a moment, but finally brought them up to surround Kurama's form. He could feel his husband breathing against his chest, and he lowered his head to bury his face in the mane of red hair.

"I'm so torn..." he mumbled into Hiei's shirt. "I really am so angry, despite everything I say to the contrary. Every time I look in the mirror, I want to tear my skin off and find the man I remember being hiding beneath the surface. And then... I wish even further, than I could tear off Shuuichi's skin and find a glimmering, silver fox beneath that. When I'm done wishing, though, I remember our baby, and I know she would cease to be if I were to have that wish granted... so I stare and stare, and have no idea what to do." Kurama looked up into Hiei's eyes and clung to his shirt.

"Then you try to help me, but I just tell you everything is all right, and use some witty banter to change the subject and make you forget. Why do I lie to you so much, Hiei?" He reached up and caressed Hiei's face so delicately, asking to be judged.

"Because... you are a fox. You were born to be a liar, and a cheat, and a thief and a trickster. So... whenever you lie to me, you should be happy, because that's telling you you're still the fox you were born to be."

Kurama's gaze was still locked with his husband's as his eyes began to overflow silently with tears.

"No matter what you become, nothing can take away who you are, Kurama, and I..." Hiei felt, suddenly, as though there were a fire in his throat, pressing on his voice box. "And I love you."

Kurama laughed slightly through his tears, smiling and wiping the corner of his eye.

"It still sounds so strange to hear you say that," he said, sitting up a bit and draping his arms over Hiei's shoulders.

"It's not easy to say..."

Kurama's features softened and he pressed his forehead lightly against his lover's, wary of his Jagan eye.

"That is because you, Hiei, will always be who you were born to be as well. You will always be forbidden, and ruthless, and cruel, and an unstoppable killer at heart."

"That's right," Hiei agreed, running his hand through Kurama's long hair.

"And so cute," Kurama quipped, kissing his eyelid and giggling.

"Go to hell, Kurama..." He wiped away the kiss with the back of his hand and grimaced.

"I'll see you there..." Kurama smiled warmly, before leaning down and molding his lips together with his lover's in a fiery kiss. They embraced tightly, and for a moment, there was only a silver fox, holding his forbidden child against his body, their hearts beating as one.

:x:

"Fall is here!" Kurama said cheerfully, kicking his feet in the shin-deep leaves that had built up on the ground. He laughed and threw an armful in Hiei's direction, though the fire demon just stood there and let himself be hit. "Won't you come play in the leaves?"

"They're dead."

"Yes, I know they are."

"Why are you so happy about that?"

"Because fall is a season where all the plants release what is left of their seeds before they wither and die. It reminds me that no matter how barren the earth may become during winter, there is always hope for new life once the spring comes." Kurama picked up the seed of a maple tree and held it before Hiei's nose.

"See? Within this tiny seed is a sleeping life, a new tree ready to be born, just like our baby."

"Our baby is not a tree."

"You're missing the point," Kurama said, as he let go of the seed and let it go spinning to the ground. "Besides, as a fox and a master of plants, I have a reason to enjoy every season," he said as he smiled and continued to walk through the forest, Hiei trailing behind.

"How so?" The fire demon did end up kicking at a few leaves with the toe of his boot as they walked.

"Well, I told you why I love fall already. In spring, I get to see the new buds of plants forming, and all the infant leaves unveiling themselves as the days become warmer and the snow melts away. Then, once the summer arrives, there is life everywhere, and my roses are in bloom. All my flowers experience their days of glory, and for foxes, it is a playful time to hunt to our hearts' content, with nothing to worry about but exploring and eating."

"And why does a fox love winter?"

Kurama spun around and grabbed hold of Hiei's hands, "Mating season!" he said lowly, grinning down as his little partner.

"I should have known..." Hiei said with his usual foul expression. He turned and continued to walk with Kurama at his side.

The fox buried his hands in the pockets of his long knitted cardigan, with his fat tummy poking out of the middle. Hiei was dressed in his black tunic, with a scarf Shiori had made for him draped around his neck.

"It seems as though our baby will be born in time for the first snow," Kurama said. He was now in his eighth month of pregnancy, his girth having grown incredibly large to accommodate the growing baby within.

"How much longer is that?" asked Hiei, who had been asking more and more frequently how much time was left.

"About six weeks are left now, that doesn't seem like very long at all, does it?"

"Yes it does."

"You're in an exceptionally bad mood today, did you know that?"

"Yes." Hiei sat down on a stump and looked at the crushed leaves at his feet. "I don't like fall. And I don't like winter either."

"It seems odd that you would dislike winter, considering your mother was an ice apparition," Kurama said as he sat down on a stone close to Hiei.

"That's why I don't like it..." He picked up a stick and poked at the ground. "Snow reminds me of that place... of those women who threw me away like a dead animal. And in winter, all the trees are dead. The safety and comfort their leaves provide in the summer is gone, they're cold and exposed."

"They're only sleeping, Hiei."

"Well, I can't sleep while they're sleeping."

Kurama smiled and carefully picked up another maple seed. He wrapped one arm around Hiei's back, and displayed the seed in his palm before the fire demon. A glimmer of youki surged around his hand, and slowly, the casing of the seed began to split apart. Hiei stared with fascination as the little seedling spiraled out of its shell and began to grow before his eyes, getting taller and sprouting tiny leaves in a matter of minutes.

"This tree is awake now, I'll plant it inside for you, and this can be your special tree who will never sleep." He handed the fragile seedling to Hiei, who cradled it in his hands and gazed down.

"Someday when I have turned to dust, you and our daughter can sit in this tree together and feel the comfort of its branches surrounding you."

Hiei turned suddenly and let his eyes meet Kurama's, a look of scared desperation filling those crimson orbs. Kurama gazed back, and for a moment, felt entirely detached from Hiei. He looked so innocent, he was so _young_...

"You will never turn to dust," Hiei commanded, the frightened expression had left him fleetingly, and his scowl had returned.

Kurama inched closer and wrapped his arms around Hiei as he stared at his new tree. Through his black hair, he kissed the top of his little demon's head, and thought about Hiei and his daughter growing up together.

In the evening, once the autumn sun had gone down, Kurama stood in the kitchen before his stove, chopping up vegetables and putting them into a pot of boiling water. He was humming lightly to himself, smiling at his work and sniffing the air every so often.

Hiei approached, soon, coming down the stairs after having polished his katana and straightening his room. He had done this someone begrudgingly, for today was the day Kurama had informed him that his room would soon become a nursery, and he would be forced to move all his belongings downstairs.

Hiei had argued, naturally, but Kurama had informed him that, logically, it would make sense to have the baby's room closest to them, across the upstairs landing, rather than downstairs and out of earshot.

"What if she fell out of her crib and fractured her skull?" Kurama had said sweetly as he began to drag Hiei's possessions out the door. The fire demon strongly protested and told the fox that if it was so important, he would do the job himself.

Now though, he was in the kitchen, peering over Kurama's shoulder and letting his stomach do his thinking for him momentarily.

"What is this?"

"I'm making vegetable soup for us," he told him, dropping some onions into the pot. "This is my very last harvest of the season." He had cleared out his vegetable gardens for winter, and they now laid barren.

"Do you want me to go kill something to put in there?"

"Hiei, it's vegetable soup tonight, besides, it's too close to being ready."

"You might get sick... you're not eating any meat," Hiei said, still peeking over Kurama's shoulder and leaning against his back.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, I know you would prefer fish over that, anyway."

Hiei worried that his fox, who enjoyed wild game immensely due to his carnivorous nature, would suffer with that source food having recently been taken out of his diet. Kurama loved to go hunting, but since his pregnancy had developed, he had not been able to.

"I could go catch you a fish right now..." Hiei nuzzled close to his back and rubbed his round tummy in the front. Kurama smiled as he put the lid on the pot to simmer and turned around in Hiei's arms.

"How about for breakfast, does that sound all right?"

Hiei nodded and leaned his head against Kurama's breasts, holding on to him and his belly closely. Ever since that afternoon, Hiei had been overly clingy, pausing only when the argument over being evicted from his room had occurred. Kurama knew, that the accidental reminder of his own mortality to Hiei had upset him, though he would not say so.

The fire demon really was ruthless, and cruel, and hardened to the world. He could be downright savage at times. But, there was one glimmering part of Hiei's ever chaotic soul that only Kurama knew of... the innocent, childlike corner of his mind, left over from the time of his birth. Somehow, though the act of being thrown over the edge, away from his mother and sister, had forced him to grow up before his time, it had also left that tiny part of him scarred and unable to mature. This part could be seen in his somewhat uncontrolled temper, and fickleness, and strong bond to those he loved most. Though he would never admit it, he really did need the fox for so many things...

Kurama pondered all this and more as he held the little demon in his arms.

"I wonder if you are really ready to be a father," he thought to himself. But out loud, he instead said,

"I like it when you're so cuddly..." and nuzzled his face in Hiei's tousle of hair.

"I am no such thing," he replied, stiffening up a bit.

"There's nothing wrong with that," Kurama comforted, rocking Hiei back and forth lightly. "There are only the two of us here, remember?"

"Three..."

Kurama giggled lightly and hugged Hiei against him, "Yes, you're right."

They enjoyed their dinner together, took a bath, and the moon hung high in the sky, they retired to their room. The pair lied undressed in bed together, as Hiei slowly and firmly rubbed Kurama's aching back while the fox relaxed and tried to meditate.

"Mm, it's no use..." he sighed, opening his eyes.

"Why not?"

"I can't clear my head..."

Hiei stayed quiet, but somehow Kurama could tell he had just repeated his question.

"I'm just thinking about a lot of things. There is so much to think about these days, don't you agree?"

"I suppose."

Kurama decided that was his hint to be quiet and enjoy his massage for now; Hiei did not want to talk. The fox closed his eyes again and concentrated on his husband's rough hands moving rhythmically up and down his back. He would rub with his palms for a few moments before kneading into the skin and muscle with his knuckles. His movements were strong but never painful, working lovingly against Kurama's body.

Soon, Hiei's small but rugged hands moved away from Kurama's back and around to his tummy, where they started rubbing in circles, as if he were trying to massage and relax the hidden baby as well.

"You've started to like my tummy now, haven't you?"

"I've gotten used to it," he said softly.

They stayed there for a while, not moving. Kurama listened to the sound of Hiei breathing in his ear and felt the warm caress of his breath against his neck. Kurama closed his green eyes and listened to the light wind blowing against the side of the house. He envisioned the dead leaves being swept up from their resting places on the ground and up into the air. They swirled past his bedroom window gracefully, and then softly danced off into the night.

Soon, as he lied there thinking of this, he noticed Hiei's hands had ceased their movement.

"Hiei?"

The smaller man had fallen asleep with his cheek against Kurama's shoulder, and his hands still resting on the round stomach. Kurama smiled and laid his hands down on top of Hiei's.

"Thank you, I feel much better now..." he said quietly as he drifted off to sleep.

:x:

Kurama struggled to lift the large bag of potting soil he was using across the room, his huge stomach getting completely in the way. He sighed and leaned against the wall, holding his lower back and looking down in dismay. The new seedlings he was trying to re-pot were waiting on the other side of the room, and a job that should have been done in minutes seemed to be taking forever.

There were only three short weeks left until his child was due to be born, and though he was excited beyond words, he was also getting impatient. His condition had been preventing him from getting out to exercise. He felt lazy, weak and immobile. He wondered how long it would take him to get back into shape once he had given birth. Closing his eyes and brushing his bangs from his eyes, he also pondered whether the body he would be toning would be that of a man or a woman. Could he really live like this forever...?

He heard a shuffling, suddenly, in the room, and looked down to see Hiei had carried his soil and pots across the floor for him and set them down against the wall.

"You didn't really need to help me," Kurama said, feeling a bit embarrassed at his current inabilities.

Hiei shrugged and let his eyes meet with Kurama's before he strode through the open doorway and padded across the hardwood floor of their living room. The redhead could hear Hiei open the refrigerator and begin rummaging around as he kneeled down before his seedlings and began to implant them in their new homes.

"Soon you will be decorating our daughter's bedroom, little ones," he said, speaking softly to them. Though he was a killer who could use his plants to perform horrific mutilations, when he came to their well-being, he was always quite tender.

He patted the soil gently and infused the roots of the baby plants with his youki, giving them a head start in their new lives. The tiny plants quivered and each sprouted one or two new leaves on the spot before he began to water them.

Later on, after he had finish arranging the baby flowers in the nursery they had finally finished decorating, he sat at the kitchen table going over their finances. Hiei arrived back in the cabin after coming through the front door from wherever he had gone. He remembered to remove his boots and set them down carefully on the mat before heading into the kitchen, expecting dinner to be ready. The still air with a lack of any enticing scent told him there was no supper ready before he had even taken a look at Kurama. The fox sat on the polished wooden bench with papers spread out in front of him and a look of dismay etched in his features.

"What is this?" Hiei asked, sliding into the seat opposite Kurama and surveying the mess of papers. Kurama leaned with his elbow on the table and his fingers lacing through his bangs as he flipped through his bank book.

"To put it simply, Hiei, we are running out of money," he said with a hint of exasperation as he flipped through and arranged more papers.

"It doesn't seem like it," Hiei said, crossing his legs in the seat and leaning over with his arms resting on the table's surface. "We still buy food, don't we? I know, since you make me go get it for you now."

"I didn't say we are out of money, I said we are running out of money, which means soon it will be gone," Kurama looked up and glared at Hiei, not because he was angry at the demon's words, but simply because he was filled with frustration.

"Then what?"

"Then... we won't have any more of that delicious food you love so much," Kurama said, looking back down at the bank book and beginning to write.

"What happened to it, you always had plenty of money before."

"I haven't been back to work in eight months, and I can't keep relying on loans from my mother, either..."

"Then why don't you go back to work?" Hiei said, reaching behind him, grabbing an apple from the fruits basket and lazily leaning back against his bench to eat it.

"I don't know if you had realized I'm currently pregnant..." Kurama began to write a bit more furiously, pressing his pen forcibly against the paper.

"You won't be pregnant forever, just go back to work then."

"Hiei!" Kurama slammed the pen down at the table and shot his glare up at the demon with his mouth full of apple. "I'm a man! If I go back to work with breasts and a newborn baby, my coworkers are going to be rather confused!"

Hiei narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, glaring back at Kurama. It was a bit annoying to have his stoic lover losing his temper over something as trivial as money, after all.

"Why don't you just _steal _something, then?" he said lowly.

"No." Kurama looked back down and began writing in the bank book again, attempting to maintain his composure. "I've also been working to cut off all my ties in the Makai for the safety of our daughter, so transferring finances from there won't work either. I'm going to have to ask Koenma to help arrange something for me until I can figure out a better way to support our family," he said, more talking to himself than Hiei.

"Why do we need money, anyway? I've survived my whole life without any money, it wasn't until I began living with you that I learned anything of banks and credit cards..." Hiei said finishing his apple and tossing the core across the kitchen and into the garbage.

"Because we don't live in the forest anymore, Hiei. Whether you want to admit it or not, I am a human man and I live a human life, accepting all the hardships of work and finances that go along with it."

"You don't look like much of a man right now," Hiei said, bitterly.

Kurama ignored his remark and began to organize the papers in front of him to be returned to their place in the filing cabinet.

"You also cannot forget that our daughter will be half human, and she will be living a human life as well, at least until she is old enough to decide whether she wants to reject that path or not. Tell me, how will we send her to school and care for her with no money?" The pregnant fox gathered up all his papers and books and rose from the table.

"She doesn't need to go to school," Hiei mumbled, glaring out the window at the late autumn landscape.

Kurama sighed and shook his head before leaving the room.

The two did not speak to each other for the rest of the day.

Very late that night, Kurama sat in bed restlessly, reading a book, for he had found himself completely unable to sleep. He had gotten through only a few chapters before folding the book down in his lap and leaning the back of his skull against the headboard. He stared up at the ceiling, feeling very helpless and frustrated with his situation. It seemed that the increasing stress of their child's eminent birth was putting an unwavering strain on their previously rock-solid relationship.

"Hiei... please be patient with me," Kurama said into the darkness, though Hiei was nowhere within earshot.

Kurama closed his eyes softly and remained in that position, with his book in his lap, thinking over the events of the day and contemplating the future. The clocked ticked by monotonously for several minutes, when suddenly...

"Aa!" Kurama gasped and was shaken violently from his relaxed state when he felt a sudden twinge in his abdomen. It wasn't painful as his false contractions had been, in fact he had not yet felt anything like it. He tore the blankets away, and looked down to see that his lap was surrounded by a puddle of liquid, slowly soaking into the mattress.

"Oh no..." The always composed and never panicking Kurama stared down at his bed in shock when he realized his water had just broken, and Hiei was nowhere to be found...

Trying desperately to maintain himself, he rose from bed and changed his nightclothes before rushing to the phone to contact Genkai's temple where he knew Yukina should be. It had been agreed, or rather demanded by Hiei, that Yukina would use her healing abilities to help deliver their baby.

Minutes passed by with amazing slowness as he sat in the living room, huddled in a robe, waiting for Yukina to arrive. He had begun to feel his contractions with great distance between them at first, but they were now less than five minutes apart. Kurama pursed his lips, focusing his healing energy on his own abdomen to help keep the pain from overwhelming him. All the while, his was crying out to Hiei with his mind, trying desperately to contact him.

Why had their child decided to come early? Was there something wrong? With almost three weeks left, was it too soon? Thoughts raced through Kurama's brain at an unbelievable pace, and he was so consumed by worry that he nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a knock at the door.

"Kurama!" When Kurama swung open the door, he found the tiny maiden standing there surrounded by a thick outer cloak and looking up at him with concern. The temperature had dropped considerably since that morning and the first snow of the season had started to fall outside. Luckily, Yukina was in her element in this weather and mostly unaffected by the cold. Her only care right now was with her brother's child.

They were soon back in the bedroom. Yukina had spread clean sheets over the surface of the bed and laid Kurama down. With his legs apart, she had draped a cloth over his knees and was examining the situation below.

"The baby is descending very quickly," she said, sitting up from her hunched over position and covering Kurama modestly. "I think she'll start to emerge within an hour or two. Are you ready?"

"It would seem I don't have much of a choice," Kurama said, wincing at another contraction. He could feel his child pressing down, getting ready to enter the birth canal at any time, and he wondered how he who had been a demon thief and infamous playboy in his past life had ended up in the body of a woman, preparing to give birth.

"Kurama," Yukina said softly. "I know you're overwhelmed, but you keep avoiding my question, where is Hiei...?" she asked, very afraid that she would upset him.

Kurama winced again and grabbed at the sheets, determined not to cry out in pain. "I don't know where he is," he said solemnly but calmly. Inside, he was trembling with fear, terrified that Hiei would miss the birth of their daughter. Thoughts that perhaps Hiei had found himself unable to handle the prospect of their child finally arriving and had consciously run away dug at the fox even more deeply.

Hiei was a predictable creature, and Kurama had faith in his devotion, but there were times when even the wise fox was surprised...

He sat quietly over the next hour, holding in the urge to scream over the intense pain he was now feeling. Yukina sat with him, rising to retrieve warm towels from the bathroom every so often so she could dab the sweat from Kurama's forehead.

The contractions were very close together now, and each time she checked, the little ice maiden saw that the baby's head was getting closer and closer to passing from the womb and into the world.

"Are you ready to push soon, Kurama?" she asked, holding his hand tightly.

He nodded, but even in her innocence she could tell that he was nearly paralyzed with fear.

"He'll be here, I promise," she said quietly, brushing Kurama's damp hair from his tense face. "Please try to relax and concentrate on your pushing, or your baby will have trouble coming out," she instructed softly, wishing there were something she could do to make her brother suddenly appear.

Soon, Kurama could not control himself anymore and let out a choked cry following the most violent contraction yet. Yukina lifted the cloth covering Kurama's legs and saw the baby's head was finally leaving the womb and descending quickly.

"It's time now. As soon as you feel your body contract again, you need to push as hard as possible!" she said firmly but gently. During her time living in the village of ice, she had witnessed several births of new ice maidens within her all female tribe. She hoped that her experience would be enough to assist Kurama, and hoped even more desperately that her brother would get there in time.

Kurama's body trembled, wracked with pain, overflowing with apprehension. He dug his fingernails deeply into the sheets below them, winding and twisting the material to the point of tearing. There was no doubt that he had felt pain this intense before, but the weight that rested on him knowing that another life depended entirely on him at this moment was almost too much to bear. His pulse pounded like a deafening drum beat in his ears, and when he felt the next strong contraction, he heard Yukina's voice somewhere far away telling him to push.

He strained with all the force his body could muster and bore down, doing his best to expel the precious baby from his body. His pride nearly forgotten by this point, he could feel tears begin to stream down his cheeks and he bit his lip to keep from screaming with each push.

"You need to push harder Kurama, please concentrate, you must!" Yukina urged when she could tell the baby was struggling but not making much progress.

Kurama gasped for breath and continued to push forcefully with each new contraction. He could hear Yukina continue to urge him on, commanding him to try harder, but he soon started to feel as though there was nothing else he could do. In this, one of the most vulnerable moments of his life, he felt alone. Why had he allowed himself to become angry over something so meaningless that day? Why had he chased his lover away with his frustrated words? As regret filled him, he felt his will starting to slip away. After so much time waiting and such unbelievable circumstances, he was now going to fail his child.

Just when Kurama thought he would reach the limit of his endurance, he suddenly felt a pair of hot arms surround his shoulders and a pair of lips brush against the lobe of his ear.

"Fox, you will not fail..."

Kurama's entire body flooded with an inexplicable wave of relief and he let his head lean back against the sinewy shoulder behind him as he pushed down with a newfound strength. The heat from the strong body against him absorbed into his skin and helped him relax and concentrate entirely on the task at hand.

The pair breathed together, and Kurama could feel the rock hard abdomen against his back straining with him each time he pushed. Two small but powerful hands were tense, surrounding his own, nearly shaking. He felt sweat from above drip down onto his neck and suddenly he felt no pain, no worry, he felt nothing but the urge to finally deliver his child.

There was one last tremendous push, and Kurama's body went entirely limp in the loving arms that surrounded him. He was utterly exhausted, but the tiny cry that rang out saved him from losing consciousness, and he quickly opened the green eyes that had been shut tight for longer than he could remember.

"She's so beautiful," he heard Yukina sob, tear gems twinkling all over the bed and rolling to clatter onto the floor.

From where, he did not know, Kurama found the strength to sit up and brought the crying newborn into his arms. He stared down at the baby, and through her tears, he could see two gorgeously shining red eyes looking back at him. He brushed his fingertips over the thin covering of soft, crimson hair on her tiny head and could hardly even comprehend the situation.

"Hiei, look at her..." Kurama said, smiling with unbelievable pride.

Hiei was gazing over Kurama's shoulder, drained and completely speechless. That afternoon he had traveled far from their home, wandering through the countryside, trying to clear his head. Night fell upon him before he had considered returning, but when he finally felt Kurama's call into the darkness reach his mind, he had raced back to the cabin with all the speed he possessed. Arriving in their bedroom, he faced the scene of Kurama in labor, straining and about to give up. Guilt over having selfishly left his mate alone stabbed at his heart, and he had quickly swooped down to surround Kurama's form in his arms.

His deep love, which he felt intensely but rarely expressed, tugged open the Jagan, and directed all of the pain Kurama had felt into his own body. With this act, the two had shared everything, and brought their baby into the world together.

Now, he looked down at the child he had helped create with complete amazement. The demon slowly reached his hand out and touched the tiny newborn's cheek, her fingers instinctively reaching out and grasping his own.

"She's wonderful," he said softly as Kurama cradled the baby and smiled at him.

"Kurama!" Yukina cried out in shock and shot up from the bed. "Your body!"

Hiei and Kurama looked up from their new child to gaze down at Kurama's bare body, lying on the bed. There, instead of the curvaceous pregnant form he had learned to live with over the past nine months, was the toned, lean body of Suuichi Minamino. The curse had been lifted.

"You're back to normal..." Hiei said in disbelief, his eyes examining the body he had once worshipped but not seen in so long.

"Little one, you did it," Kurama said, touching his daughter's soft face and beaming down at her. "You gave me my life back."

The delicate infant had already snuggled against her father's chest and fallen asleep, and the two men kissed each other deeply in their joy.

Poor Yukina stood with her back turned, blushing intensely all the while.

"Yukina... You're sure you'll be all right walking back," Hiei said, his fingertips still lingering on the sleeve of his sister's kimono as she was stepping out the door.

"Hiei, you need to stay with your new child, I insist. I promise that I will be fine on my own." Yukina was on the porch by now. She wanted her brother to spend time alone with his family, as much as he begged her to stay.

"Get right on the train then, don't turn back," he commanded.

"Hiei, must you make everything so somber?" Kurama asked. He had been nonstop smiles since his daughter had emerged into the world, and he now stood holding the child in his arms as they bid Yukina farewell for the night.

"Good-bye Hiei, good-bye Kurama, I'm so happy for you," she said through the frame of the open door.

"I'm sure Hina would say good-bye to you as well, if she could," Kurama said, snuggling his baby daughter against him and smiling down at her.

"Hina... Somehow I knew Hiei would choose our mother's name for his child," Yukina said happily as she turned to go. She waved good-bye to the three of them as she walked down the path. Hiei planted himself firmly on the porch and locked his eyes on her until she was out of sight.

"Hiei, she will be fine," Kurama assured him. "Please, come inside."

Hiei closed the door behind him as he entered the house and slipped down onto the couch. Kurama sat there cradling their newborn who had just fallen asleep in his arms again. He almost felt as if he could never remove his gaze from her beautiful sleeping face for the rest of his life. Her existence was simply too perfect to be real. He managed to blink though, at last, and looked up at Hiei who was staring down at their baby in fascination.

"Do you want to hold her?"

Hiei's head snapped up and he stared at Kurama with wide open eyes, his exposed red irises capturing the reflection of the entire room. He had barely touched Hina since she had left Kurama's body. He assured himself that the fox would not want to give the baby up, he had been fawning over her for hours after all, holding her in his arms all the while. That would buy him plenty of time, Hiei told himself, before he would have to hold that tiny bundle in his own arms.

"You're afraid, aren't you?" Kurama asked, amused by this notion. Could one of the fiercest demons known to three worlds have been tamed by an infant?

"Hn..." Hiei recovered from his stunned state and glared at Kurama, a look that said to the fox 'How dare you accuse me of such a thing?'

'No matter how true it is...' Kurama added in his own mind. He nudged Hiei slightly with his elbow and offered his most cunning and sweet smile. Hiei, who had folded his arms in defense, looked down at the baby, yawning and wriggling slightly.

"You're not going to hurt her, Hiei." Though he was tense with apprehension, he thought of all the times his mother must have wished she were holding him, knowing she would never be able to. This lead him to think of himself then, and all the times he longed for her to be holding him as well. _His_ child would never have to face that emptiness, he resolved.

He slowly took the newborn from Kurama and held her in his arms as if she were made of blown glass, about to shatter in an instant.

"Relax, my love, a child of demon blood is not so fragile. You know that as well as anyone," Kurama comforted.

Hiei nodded slightly and gradually relaxed against the back of the sofa, letting Hina cuddle into his body and clutch at his shirt.

"She looks like me," Hiei whispered. Every time he really looked at her, he found himself losing focus and slipping into complete amazement. He could see features of both himself and his sister in her face, along with Kurama's beautiful hair topping her tiny head.

"I could not ask for a more beautiful child," said Kurama, leaning over his husband's form and wrapping his arm around the small demon's shoulder. "I can't wait to show her to mother, I know the face she makes when she sees her granddaughter with be absolutely priceless."

"Your mother..." Hiei mumbled. He bit his bottom lip as he stared down at Hina and slowly reached into his pocket, balancing the baby with extreme care in his other arm. When he pulled his hand out, he revealed a glistening black tear gem, and held it out for her.

"This one is yours," said Kurama softly.

"I shed this while you were in labor," Hiei said, and Kurama was surprised to hear no shame in his voice.

"This is for you, Hina, think of it as a gift... from me, and from my mother, who you'll never meet," he said to his daughter, and the baby opened her eyes wide for the first time. Whether or not she understood his words was impossible to tell, but she focused on the beautiful stone nonetheless, and reached out her little hand towards it.

"I'll make this into a necklace for you, and you can wear it when you grow older. Maybe someday, you'll cry one just like this for your daughter..."

"What makes you so sure she'll have a daughter?" Kurama asked, though he knew the answer.

"I'm the only one of my kind. I always will be."

Kurama smiled and ran his hand through Hiei's hair, caressing him softly as the child of fire remained spellbound by his baby girl.

In a few hours, Hina had been tucked safely into her cradle and was sound asleep, dreaming the very first dreams of her new life. Kurama and Hiei lied in their bed carressing each other gently as Hiei familiarized himself with Shuuichi's young body once again. He let his fingertips brush lightly across his chest, down to the narrow waist, savoring the feel of his deliciously soft skin.

"You're exactly as you were," Hiei said as he marvelled over the form which had never left his mind the entire time Kurama had been pregnant.

"It's true; I can find no traces that I ever carried a child or had been female at all, for that matter," mused Kurama as he ran his hands over his own body, dragging them from his ribcage until he reached his thighs.

"We still have no clue what happened to you..." said Hiei, propping himself up on his elbow and resting his other hand lazily on Kurama's bare chest.

"I know..." Kurama rolled over a bit until he was looking squarely into Hiei's face. A pleasant smile adorned his features and he gently rubbed his lover's shoulder. "But, in spite of my greedy and curious nature, I find myself not wanting to know."

"Hn, you, not wanting something? I find that hard to believe."

"Come now, I've changed, haven't I? I'm a model citizen," Kurama laughed as Hiei rolled his eyes.

"Haven't we had this conversation?" he asked, touching Kurama's face and getting nose to nose with him. "Once a fox, always a fox... You're a liar and a sneak, and you always will be."

Hiei was overtop of him now, and Kurama wrapped two slender arms around the demon's shoulders to rest his hands on the back of his neck.

"I cannot deny it." He felt Hiei's temperature rise, his blood getting fired up over being so close to Kurama's true body after so long. "But I have changed, in one regard. This whole experience, everything we have been through, it's taught me to be even more thankful for what I have, and not to question my circumstances quite so much."

"You really think you can accept not knowing?"

"I think so..." he arched his neck up a bit and teased Hiei with a soft kiss before resting his head back on the pillow beneath them. A low sound that could only be decribed as a growl rumbled from deep within Hiei's body as he captured his husband's lips in his mouth and began to kiss him fiercly. Had Hiei always been such a skilled kisser? Kurama thought, though, he _had_ been taught by the best...

Soon Kurama had begun to moan softly in pleasure as Hiei's hot mouth moved to his neck, but just as he had given in fully to his heated desire...

"What was that?" Hiei's head shot up and he listened intently.

Kurama sighed as a tiny wail was heard from across the landing through their open bedroom door. He slid Hiei off his body and pulled on a robe before getting up.

"I supposed we should get used to this, quickly..." he muttered as he left the room. Hiei stared at the door for a moment and pulled on his pants before following Kurama. When he hurried into the other room, he found his husband lifting the crying Hina out of her cradle gently.

"What's wrong with her?" Hiei demanded, worried that his new baby had somehow become damaged in only a few hours.

"She's just hungry, that's all," Kurama assured him as he headed out the door to fix her a bottle.

"Why is she crying?" he said with some frustration as he followed inches from Kurama's heels down the staircase.

"All babies cry when they want something, Hiei. They cry when they're hungry, they cry when they need to be changed, they cry when they're tired, they cry when they want attention, and sometimes they just... cry."

"I never cried..."

"You're..." Kurama looked into Hiei's eyes for a moment as he was screwing the top on a fresh bottle. "Well don't worry about it. Just prepare to hear it every night, for a while."

"She's going to cry EVERY night?" Hiei said, glancing down at his child who was now contentedly drinking from her bottle.

Kurama chuckled warmly and shook his head in disbelief as he sat down in the bench at their kitchen table.

"Oh Hiei, how I love you."

Many nights passed in this way. Eventually, Hina started to sleep for several hours at a time without waking, and the couple was finally able to get plenty of sleep once again. Days turned into weeks as Kurama and Hiei gradually sank into their roles of being parents. Hiei, naturally, was very hesitant at first. He would shy away from holding his baby, was extremely wary of trying to feed her, and absolutely refused to change her diaper. Little by little, though, with Kurama's gentle persuasion constantly nagging at him, Hiei began to enjoy the time he spent with his little girl. He would hold her in his lap while the family ate dinner together, helping her to suck her bottle and fill her small tummy. He also enjoyed bringing her into the bath with him, and there were nights when Kurama was absolutely sure he could hear Hiei talking to the baby while they were alone in the tub.

For now, Hiei was asleep in the armchair while Kurama sat in his rocking chair, clutching Hina against him and feeding her. Hiei's head was tipped back at an angle which seemed as if it must be very uncomfortable and was breathing heavily. Kurama wondered, if his head tipped back any further he would start to snore. He smiled at that idea and lowered his eyelids, his long eyelashes nearly dusting his cheeks as she stared at Hiei with complete adoration and love.

How strange it was to think of his little lover as a father, and even stranger to know the healthy baby he held in his arms was one they had created together. Whatever had caused such a natural impossibility to occur was still unknown to him, though he was very grateful. Having Hina with him made him feel very... whole. It seemed she had suddenly filled a void in his life that he had not even known existed. He could no longer imagine going on without her. His mother had told him, most new parents feel this way.

Shiori had been absolutely delighted when she laid her eyes on her first, and in all likelihood, only grandchild. Her first glimpse at the baby's vibrant red hair and round face had sent her into tears. As she gazed down into the little girl's eyes, her joy melted into true love and utter amazement. She was almost shocked by the amazing beauty of the child. Possessing both Kurama's grace and Hiei's imp-like features, she had a loveliness that seemed almost inhuman. (Kurama had to remind her that Hina was not, in fact, quite human...)

They had talked for hours about the infant's future, making plans for many years to come and guessing and wondering what kind of person she would be. For now, though, she seemed quite content to lie in her parent's laps, as she currently was, eat, sleep, and endlessly pull on Kurama's hair, which was by far her favorite toy.

The kitsune gazed down at the little girl suckling her bottle, gradually falling asleep, and sighed with satisfaction. The moon outside shone brightly through the window and illuminated the sweet scene taking place on the darkened landing. Kurama rocked in silence, waiting patiently for Hina to finish her meal and nod off so he could tuck both her and Hiei into bed. How he loved the little girl staring sleepily up at him. He loved her in a way he barely understood, it was something he had never experienced in his long existence. All he knew was that he was dedicated now to loving and protecting his child for the rest of his life. Nothing could ever take away the love he felt for her, no matter what the circumstances of her birth may be.

"My littlest treasure, you are more precious to me than the rarest of jewels or trinkets. Just seeing your sweet face is worth more than anything... Who it is that blessed us with your birth, I do not know, but I thank him," Kurama said softly, touching his fingertips to his child's cheek delicately, holding her close to his heart.

A gentle fluttering was heard by the open window, and though he thought it must be merely a bird, Kurama's ears perked when he felt the tiniest glimmer of youki emanating from the trees. He blinked and looked up suddenly, just in time to see what could have been a star sparkling in the distance, or possibly the flash of an imp vanishing into the night. His breath paused and released as he watched with fascination as a small envelope drifted through the window, caught on an unearthly breeze, and landed in his lap beside Hina.

There was no name, no address, no markings of any kind on his envelope. Opening it with his nimble fingers and pouring out the contents, he read. Inside was a single piece of paper with but two words written upon it...

_"You're Welcome."_


End file.
